My Fire Princess
by xRaawrie
Summary: "I know this marriage is to keep the peace, but I'll make you fall in love with me because you are my Fire Princess." ZukoxKatara. Hot Lemon in later chapters.
1. The Meeting

**Title: My Fire Princess**

**Summary: **"I know this marriage is to keep the peace, but I'll make you fall in love with me because you are my Fire Princess"

Rated : M for later Lemon

**Author Note: **Hello world ! I know the plot is simply typical, however, I hope the readers who do enjoy it knows I appreciate it greatly :3 Oh and Aang and Katara DID NOT kiss. This story totally forgets about that moment.

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**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar or any of the people in it

Katara stood at the frozen pond her mother use to bring her too everyday. How long has it been since the war had ended? A few years now. Aang had left to train a new breed of monks, but constantly visited due to Appa's help. She had heard through the grape vine that him and Toph spend a great deal of time together and because both of them were currently 15, she questioned if they were just _friends_. Sokka, on the other hand, got married to Suki a few months after the big battle claiming that life was too short to beat around the bush and being 17 was simply a number. That left her and Zuko...

Her hand moved back and forth, bringing with it a stream of water that glistened in the sun. She thought that when the danger was over with, she would be able to live a normal life. She wanted to be a normal 19 year old girl who could experience love and life to its fullest. That, however, never happened and it seemed like Zuko had a hard time too.

She had read that the fire nation was changing itself. No longer did they hope for the fear in other's eye, but rather a new beginning for an old nation. Her and Zuko exchanged letters back and forth, but their communications were always short due to the fact that the water nation had not entirely forgave their old foe. The last letter she received from Zuko was 2 weeks ago when he told her that Uncle Iroh was making him throw a 21th Birthday Party. 2 weeks ago... that was also around the time her dad spoke to her.

* * *

"_Katara, sometimes we all make sacrifices for our country. Everyone was so glad that you and Sokka helped the avatar bring peace, but you know that our scars burns deeper than just a year can fix,"_

"_Yeah dad, I know... but one day everyone will forgive the fire nation. Just like I learned too..." _

"_That's the thing. The fire nation had agreed that this uncivil resentment is a hinderance and may spark a war later on. They came up with an ideal of a unity between both countries and the elders have agreed, but as you know Princess Yue is no longer with us,"_

"_You guys could have never talked Yue into marrying someone she didn't love," Katara smiled, "Besides if she was still here Sokka may be a prince."_

_Katara's dad sat on her bed, his face buried on his hand for a moment. He was silent for a long time which worried Katara and the simple expression she had on her face gradually disappeared when she realized the seriousness of their talk._

"_As a father, I don't want to have to ask you this... there are many other girls capable of doing this task, however, as a surviving water bender and an original Avatar member, the Fire Nation court believes that you are most capable for this mission..." _

"_What are you talking about, dad...?" Katara asked, her voice quiet with the anticipation of a bad answer.._

_"Tara... in about 2 weeks you are to leave for the Fire Nation. Your fiance will come get you and our nation will be combined as one." _

* * *

"So much for a normal life," She groaned as she saw an approaching ship. Mentally, as the fire nation's flag blew in the wind, she regret not writing back to Zuko, "Maybe he could have found out who I was marrying..."

The entire village came out to great their visitors. When they had heard Katara would marry into royalty, they put aside their hatred to support their own. The entire plan was creating peace, just as the Fire Nation and Water Tribe courts had hope. As the ship arrived in the docks, the doors opened up and out came a line of Fire Nation soldiers, marching to the beat in their minds.

"Ah... General Tai," Katara's dad said as he took the lead with the Water troops, "I hope your journey was pleasant."

Katara looked as General Tai shook her dad's hand. She had wondered if he was the one she was suppose to marry, but had hope her dad would protest against such an... old finance.

"Ah... Thank you sir, it was most enjoyable. May I see your beautiful daughter?" General Tai inquired, hoping he could see the quality of the bridal candidate.

The water bender stepped forward, sporting her best blue gown.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, General Tai," Katara responded with a smile.

"You are quite beautiful, words did you no justice, your fiance should be out in a moment, he was training earlier and General Iroh insisted he washed up."

"General... Iroh?" Katara asked with wide eyes. She thought for a moment taking in the surrounding. Huge ship. Huge crew. Uncle Iroh. Was her fiance-

"Katara?!"

"Well Zuko, I'm sure you and your bride has a lot to catch up on..." Iroh said with a smile as he walked out with none other than the Fire Lord Zuko.

**Author Note: Like I said, I hate openings :3 but thank you for continuing...** **I'm going to estimate that real hardcore lemon cannot happen until later on.** **But I will try to slip in some sweet fluff.**


	2. Sharing Spaces

**Chapter 2: Sharing Spaces **

**Disclaimer: I do not own avatar, nor will I ever... **

**Author Note: ** I obviously write in very short chapters... only because I tend to want to get the boring things out of the way. Formalities... descriptions! All of it works together to lead up to the good stuff. The next chapters will be longer, but for now it is a very rainy and slow day which allowed me to write some small things for you lovely folks. :3

* * *

Katara and Zuko left their parental guardians at the ship. Both of them had decided to take a walk around the town which would hopefully allow them to get a better handle on the situation.

"Can you believe this? We're going to have to get married, Zuko!" Katara screamed as she lead the Fire Lord to a small pond.

"Did you not know that you would wed me?" Zuko asked curiously, his eyes focused on the small figure across the pond.

"Well, no... my dad said that someone would be chosen for me," The water bender responded.

"Well aren't you bright, My lady. Obviously, if there was a unity agreement, you would need to wed the king of the nation..." Zuko coyly mocked.

"Well you may be the Fire Lord, but you're still a hot head to me," Katara laughed, "And what's with the proper language? We're friends aren't we?"

"Sorry, it's been a while since I've talked to a friend,"

If it was anyone other than Katara, Zuko would have banished them from the nation. Yet, after the big war with his father, the group had went their separate ways. He was 17 at the time which meant that about 4 years had already pass. The first year was busy for everyone. New places to build, new laws to pass... there was no time for friends or talking. However, as the second year went by, Uncle Iroh had suggested Zuko write to everyone. Of course, Katara continued to write back. Both of them had no binding obligations that kept them from writing simple letters; no wives, no husbands, no almost boyfriends and girlfriends. It was only natural that they developed a more open connection.

"But I'm glad..." Katara said as she seemed to snap Zuko out of his thought process, "I thought I would have to marry some old man or rude prick! To think that it is you makes me feel a little better... and you look good, _Fire Lord Zuko_."

The water bender was being completely genuine, but the Fire Lord part was lace with a hint of mockery. It had been a long time since she had seen the fire bender and a lot had changed. Zuko's short hair had grown longer to represent royalty, but was hidden by the signature Fire Nation's top knot. His body was always fit, but now he was more tone and muscular. Seems like his royal duties did not affect his training sessions at all. Needless to say that if she never met Zuko, she would have thanked her father for matching her up with such a sexy man.

"You seem taller too," she remarked, realizing that she only went up to his shoulders.

Zuko smiled, "You look good too, Katara..."

"That's all?" she laughed as she saw her dad wave to her, "We should get back..."

Katara walked in front of Zuko, leading the way back to the small crowd of blue and red spots. Zuko didn't know what to say, but he could honestly admit that "you look good" was an understatement. He didn't want to say anymore because he wanted to still look cool. Katara did, after all, mature into a beautiful young lady. Her hair had grown longer and fell above her butt, which was tone and round. She was still short, but that was what made her so cute when they were younger. Cute, however, was no longer the right word. She was far from cute. She was sexy.

As the water bender walked in front of the Fire Lord, he could see her hips swag. She grew an amazing hour glass figure that was probably obtained with various training sessions. The dress she had on hugged all the right curves and made her round breast seem even rounder- if possible.

"What the hell am I thinking..." Zuko thought as he mentally slapped himself. He was behaving like a horny 16 year old boy. Not a respectable Fire Lord.

* * *

It had been 3 hours since the boat set sail and Katara left her hometown. Uncle Iroh made it clear that she should enjoy herself, but she wasn't use to the attention and stares that the crew members gave her. Looking over the edge, she sigh. It wasn't a bad idea to marry Zuko, but she would have to get use to it.

"Tea?"

"Oh, General Iroh," Katara gasped, taking the small china tea cup from the master bender.

"Please, call me Uncle Iroh," He smiled.

"You always were so kind to everyone," Katara said as she took a small sip of tea, "This is wonderful, did you make it yourself?"

"Why yes, I love tea and it's easy to make even the cheapest thing taste good...as long as you have patience"

There was a long pause in the air as Katara finished the small treat.

"Katara, some how I always imagined the woman my nephew would marry to be... more gentle. She would be the kind of person to obey Zuko's command and never ever step out of her spot."

Katara stared at the man in front of her. He couldn't be suggesting that she be Zuko's slave, could he? They must have forgotten that at any moment, she could bend the water and hop off the ship.

"But," The general said drinking his last sip, "Zuko is much like this tea. It seems hot at first, but after you spend some time with it, it'll cools down... yet the taste you get in your stomach is as fresh as a boiling pot of the finest first class tea."

"I know Zuko is a nice guy, Uncle Iroh..." katara said softly, "it's just that I never imagined myself in this position, becoming Fire Lady to a man I once hated."

"I'm glad that you are not one to buckle under the orders of another man, Katara," Iroh said, "Because for some reason I always felt like you would be a good girl for my stubborn nephew."

"UNCLE!"

"Why yes, Zuko?"

"Why is there no guest room for Katara?"

Iroh looked at his fuming nephew as though Zuko had asked him how to make a rainbow out of air.

"Well my fine nephew... there's no spare room because you two will be sharing your chambers together. You are, after all, engaged to one another. No need to feel shy on our accounts. If you want you may run into each other's arms!"

"UNCLE THAT IS NOT FUNNY, I demand another room be prepared for-" Zuko yelled until he noticed that his uncle was already twirling around the deck, spitting nonsense that involved teens in love.

Zuko grabbed Katara's hand and pulled her along. He was obviously mad and Katara was not a happy camper either. Yes, they were engaged, but privacy is a lovely thing that even most married couples preferred. With a sudden halt in their movement, the two benders arrived at a big steel door. Zuko created a small flame from his finger tip and threw it into the keyhole.

"Welcome to the Fire Lord room,"

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**AN/ Remember my lovely viewers; it never hurts to review ~ Typically if it's another insomniac night I will write more and perhaps developed our lovely bender's relationship more  
**


	3. Ship Rides

**Chapter 3**

**Author's Note:** I think I'm going to try to aim to make this chapter longer because I'm so use to writing small sections. Thanks for reviewing the last two chapters even though it's only 2. Each ones matter to me! (;

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar or any person associated inside it... nor will I ever.

* * *

Katara looked inside the room in front of her. It was huge, no wonder Uncle Iroh insisted they share a chamber. Zuko could have 2 more beds put in and still have room to train.

"Zuko, your room is... huge, are you sure this is _just_ a ship?"

The Fire Lord laughed, "Yeah, but mines and Uncle's Iroh room are only this size... everywhere else is pretty small."

The room had little in it, but the furniture was elaborate. It had one king size bed with about ten pillows tossed on it. Everything seemed to be the highest quality of red silk and the carpet was woven with the image of Fire Lilies. Zuko noticed Katara looking around. He figured that the south pole didn't have things like this, but the Fire Nation was a huge country.

"This is pretty small compared to the palace's master room. If you're amazed this easily by the size... you're probably going to be speechless in the Fire Nation."

"I can't help it, you saw the south pole! We have tents and igloos... nothing like wooden beds and fine silk pillows," The water bender laugh.

Katara took a step into the room and started to look around. Everything gave off such a royal aura that she felt out of place. Zuko looked at her. He noticed the way her hair bounced as she took a step and how her nose would winkle when she was observing something. Then he noticed that she was still in that breathtaking creation called a dress and made a mental note to get her changed before stepping into the fire nation.

_4 years._ He had never really noticed before how beautiful the water bender was. Back in the Fire Nation, pale skin was normal, but Katara had beautiful tan skin that glistened in the water. Her dark brown hair only complimented her overall appearance and because she was a water bender... her blue eyes were unique to her kind. Yet, they were only friends. Friends who were being forced to marry one another for the good of both their nations and the future.

"Just friends," he mentally engraved.

Suddenly, Zuko heard a small yelp and looked up to see a certain water bender tripping on the edge of the carpet. Moving quick on his feet, Zuko lunged forward, pushing Katara onto the bed before she managed to hit her head on the wooden dresser.

_Everything froze._

"ow..." the water bender mumbled as she slowly opened her eyes.

Golden orbs met ocean blue as Zuko landed right on Katara. He could smell a faint scent of lilies come off of her as she noted the smell of cinnamon on him.

"_Friends,_" Zuko thought as he tried to desperately remind himself of his position. He had never really thought about it, but he wondered why he was fond of the water bender. Back during the war, he had remember the pain that shot through him as Azula set her aim on Katara. He had fear on his mind, but he was more scared of hurting this girl than dying. Before he knew it, his feet picked up, his heart was racing, and he had manage to redirect lighten without dying.

"You know, Katara..." The fire bender said, running a section of hair through his hand, "It's dangerous for a lady to walk into a man's room."

Katara laughed. It wasn't a joking laugh or a laugh you express when someone tells a joke, but she was genuinely getting nervous. Sure, she traveled with Zuko before, but now this was different. She didn't register that he was a guy back then. He was just her friend... who happened to be a little cute. Now, she had to marry him, live with him, have...kids with him which meant they would have to – to – bang. The water bender used the flower pot near Zuko's bed to make a small water whip, knocking him off of her and leaving him shocked.

"Hey! What was that for?" He asked more surprised than angry.

"And you should remind yourself that I am a water bending master," Katara remarked, "I don't need to fear any man."

Zuko smirked, "I know, which is why this is going to be a beautiful_..._ _marriage_."

* * *

The master benders got interrupted a few moments later. Zuko had been pull into a meeting while Katara was informed that the female servants would help her get dress in something more suitable for a future Fire Lady.

"Fire Lord Zuko," An older man said as they stood in the office room, "Is this design the one you wanted for Lady Katara?"

Zuko looked at the object in his hand. He had noted that even today, Katara wore the same necklace around her neck. It was a small memento from a very important woman, who he had later on learned, during their journey, meant the world to her. He knew that she was the one sacrificing the most in this agreement. Not only was she leaving her home and family, but she would also have to learn his country's rules. The least he could do was give her one of her custom back.

"This is the bridal necklace I had you prepare, right?" Zuko asked, admiring the design.

He had personally sketched the picture for the man. He knew that the gentleman was suppose to make the stone themselves, but due to the complexity of the drawing, he realized he was not going to do a good job. He wanted Katara to remember her home town, which prompt him to draw the water tribe symbol in the center, but because they were creating a unity, he had it put in the middle of a flame to show her developing loyalty to the Fire Nation. Zuko requested that the stone be blue with red cravings because he had realize that Katara would general dress in red. This meant that she was losing the color she had worn her entire life. The final touch was the shape. Her mother's necklace was a circular stone and although he admire the craftsmanship, he had them make his into a heart.

"This will do," Zuko said as he paid the man extra for his hard work and time.

The man nodded and left, heading back to the room they prepared for him before leaving the Fire Nation. Suddenly, there was a small knock at the door.

"Zuko? Is your meeting over yet... Uncle Iroh said you should be finishing up,"

"Come in," He announced as he recognized the voice to be Katara's.

As the door slowly opened, Zuko's mouth slightly dropped. The blue dress had enhanced Katara's natural beauty, but a red dress; that was different. The water bender was in a floor length dress that hugged her waist and flowed out the bottom. The maids had put half of Katara's hair up and left the bottom half down. The dress was strapless, but a long silk wrap was placed on her shoulder to prevent any chills during the night and her mother's necklace laid proudly on her neck.

"They put make up on you?" Zuko asked as he stepped closer.

"Yeah, they said every girl should have a little on," Katara answered shyly.

There was really no need to put make up on Katara. She naturally had big eyes and her lips were always soft, or so they looked. The women had put a darker pink on Katara's lip and lined her eyes with eyeliner.

"They wanted to put on red lipstick, but I protested! For a men's ship, you guys have a lot of female dress," Katara said, "This one was easier to move in."

"Well, we wanted you to feel right at home,"

"With... dresses?" She asked.

"With _many_ dresses... so that you can chose," Zuko said smiling, "I know how you like to dress up every now and then."

The Fire Lord was holding the necklace in his pocket, but decided to leave it for dinner later on. He had already made plans to convert her mother's necklace into a bracelet so that even if they took it off, it'll always be with her. The craftsman said he would make a gold bracelet made the sun fell and all he needed to do was place the stone in the center.

"How long does it take to get to the fire nation?" Katara asked suddenly.

"About... 2 days," Zuko answered realizing that Katara was probably more use to flying than sailing.

"Two days?!" She yelled, "What am I suppose to do for two whole days?"

"well, on the bright side one day is almost done. I have stacks of paper to read," he answered, "but you may feel free to do what you please,"

Katara just stood there. Two days on a boat left her with nothing to do. She could train on the deck, but training for her was generally only an hour long. Not only that, but she realized that they would be on a boat overnight and that left the bedroom situation open. Sighing, she paced around the room.

"But," The fire bender said, "I can wait until we get back to do paperwork... so we can catch up if you want,"

"Are you sure? You must have a lot to get through,"

"Well, I'll put in a few more office hours when we get back."

Katara smiled at him. She knew he was trying his best to make her comfy and being the hot head he was, it was probably hard.

"You know, you're alittle different than when we left to go our seperate ways," The water bender mentioned.

"Really?"

"Yeah, somehow it seems like you're more understanding. Before it was all about you, you, you," She laughed as she stuck her tongue out.

"Well, you're not the same either," he blurted out, "in fact, I think you gotten even more beautiful."

Katara turned her head before Zuko could see her blush.

"_Yeah, he was different all right..."_

The two bender walked down the hallway as Zuko informed Katara on the simple things she would need to be conscience about. She groaned over the idea of keeping her cool under ridiculous demands and not talking back to the Fire counsel. It was like having another dad... only 5 of them.

"You have to do this all the time, Zuko?"

"All the time," he groaned.

"Concubine!" A young man yelled walking toward the couple, "You will address Fire Lord Zuko as Fire Lord Zuko, not by his name like he's some sort of commoner."

The man was about to grab Katara's arm when Zuko stepped in front of her. Zuko glared at this guy and it looked as though he was about to burn him in fire, "You shall not yell at a lady like that, especially one who is going to be my wife. First she is no concubine, she is the future Fire Lady and she may address me however she likes, even if it's something ridiculous like 'hot-head.'"

General Tai came running up to the small group after he had heard the commotion.

"I'm so sorry Fire Lord Zuko, he's a new recruit and have yet learned the grounds,"

"Keep our men in check, one more outburst like that and I'll see to it myself that I find someone more capable of controlling a few men."

Katara grabbed Zuko's arm and tried to calm him down.

"Zuko, it's fine, I didn't say hi to everyone on the ship yet... it's easily mistakable that you could be enjoying a night of... Pleasure." She laughed tugging on his hand, "it's a tad stuffy in here, can we go outside near the sea?"

"I have never used sexual services, thank you very much!" the fire lord groaned, "I'm like a sex-god!"

"Way to grow your head," Katara said rolling her eyes.

They two left after the young man apologized again. As they headed toward the stairs to the deck, they had miss the sudden glare General Tai gave them as he smacked the recruit on the head.

"Get back to work and do not make anymore mistakes!" He yelled.

After several moments passed he tightened his fist, "Don't make a fool out of me..."

* * *

**Author Note: **Well, I think the next two chapters are gonna be fluffy seeing as Zuko will finally give her the necklace! It will be posted either tommorrow or thursday ~ because I want the people reading to enjoy :D. thanks again loves


	4. Saying Yes

**Chapter 4 Saying Yes**

**Author's Note: **Thank you so much for reading still everyone. I don't know if you guys do this, but when I see a new comment my heart has a mini heart attack and it takes me... 5 minutes? To click on the 'review' button. xD I always think it's going to be bad... does anyone else does that? I'm trying to get into a one chapter a day kind of thing until it goes more heavily into the plot, but we'll see what will happen!

**AN part 2 : **moonsunearth** and **angelonearth4life** There is a note for you guys at the end.** :3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of these character!

* * *

"How could you assume I would use a _concubine_?" Zuko whined as he looked up toward the sky.

"Well, I don't know," Katara said, "It's been a while and you are 20... plus you're a man with a country,"

"But a CONCUBINE?" he blurted as he exaggerated the word loudly.

"Why else would they think I'm one?" she inquired.

Zuko rolled his eyes. That was something about her that didn't change. She always argued back. He had never used a concubine before, in fact, he detest the idea of making woman sleep with men for money. Giving out a loud sigh, he saw through the corner of his eyes a stream of water floating through the air. Katara was waving the thing back and forth in loops.

"Maybe they thought you were a concubine... because you're too _beautiful_ in that dress," Zuko smirked, "You should go change."

"You implied I looked nice," Katara stated dropping the water from the sound of the word 'beautiful.'

"Now I'm saying you look too sexy, go change."

"You can't just tell me to go change!" The water bender yelled as she crossed her arms and marched in front of Zuko.

"It's just too sexy, Tara, that dress is way too short," He said looking away from her face.

"It's Floor Length, Lord Hot-Head,"

"Than it's way too thin,"

"It has a layer of cotton and then a layer of silk and then MORE cotton,"

"Obviously, it is too red,"

"Then obviously your whole nation is too _red_!"

The two benders bumped heads. It looked as though Katara was about to drown Zuko in a water bubble when they heard a throat clear in the air.

"My, my isn't it lovely to hear such love in the air,"

The two benders looked toward the direction of the sound and saw Uncle Iroh walk onto the deck. He had a small circular tube in his hand and insisted both of them joined him for a tea party by the sea.

"Uncle, we are not bickering lovers," Zuko said bluntly.

"He's right, Uncle Iroh, and on another note, I think Zuko needs to get some glasses for his poor vision," Katara mumbled, "He thinks a _floor length_ dress is too short."

Iroh laughed as the two sat down at the table the soldiers had set, "Well Katara you are certainly a vision in red, perhaps Zuko is a little jealous that you look that beautiful in front of others. You really should just say that Zuzu."

"Shut up!"

The water bender looked at the Fire Lord who was currently staring out at sea in the opposite direction. After a few inaudible comments from him, everyone settled down and a friendlier atmosphere came back.

"Its been a while since we had a female on our ship. Normally we transport spoiled brats or rude men," The general said.

"I'm glad I can change the scenery," Katara replied, "It has been a while since I've traveled."

"Uncle," Zuko suddenly said while getting up, "because Katara has your company, I am heading back to the office. I might as well try to get some work done so that tomorrow is clear for me. When you're done with your tea party come get me,"

"Are you sure Zuzu that you do not wish to stay? The ship band is going to preform later on tonight!"

"I'm fine," Zuko said, "Katara, I'll get you for dinner if I finish early, enjoy the tea."

He gave her a small smile, hoping it would rebuild the bridge to their friendship once again. As she replied back with a smile of her own, a wave of relief rushed over his body and he turned around to head back down.

"Have fun being king," The water bender laughed as she saw Zuko's figure retreat into the darkness of the ship.

* * *

"How's your tea, Lady Katara?" Uncle Iroh asked after noting that Zuko was finally gone.

"It's wonderful, Uncle Iroh, but please call me Katara,"

"Don't mind if I do," The old General replied, "And how about your other tea?"

Katara looked at him for a moment and realized he was referring to Zuko and the talk they had earlier that day, "My other cup of tea... is still a little too hot to drink, but I'm sure it'll cool down soon."

A moment of silent passed through the air before Iroh and Katara began to talk about the things they did within the 4 years of peace.

"Zuko was always busy after that..." Iroh said as he finished his thought.

"Really? I guess that's the price of running a country. Actually, I was surprised to see that I was going to marry Zuko," Katara said as the topic focused on the fire bender.

"Why is that?"

"Well, I use to hate Zuko... or was it that I hated fire benders," Katara thought for a moment, "Its just hard to imagine the change from enemies to friends and now lovers,"

"Things change everyday, Katara. Take the leaves on a tree for instant. We have hundreds and thousands of trees in the Fire Nation, but no one takes the time to appreciate them anymore. If you look closely at their colors you see that they change from green, to yellow, to nothing, and back to a soft red..."

"We don't have trees in the South Pole," Katara said softly.

"Yes, but you have seen them in your travels," Uncle Iroh said smiling, "The matter is not that you use to hate each other or that you two are just friends. My nephew is someone who has been through a lot, but something he knows well is love."

"Really?" Katara asked as she wonder if he was talking about a previous girlfriend.

"The love I mean is the one his mother gave him. Zuko may have been a hot headed teenager, but he was full of anger. He wanted desperately to show his mother that he could shower her with the same amount of love she had given him, but because she was no longer there he wanted to give it to his father. I think we both know how that went," Iroh stated with a serious stare, "But... what matters now is that you two can grow into love, just like trees grow into their colors. You just need to observe and pay attention to one another and you'll notice all the stages that comes with this new journey. Don't walk pass it like others do. They'll be fun moments, calm moments, and bad moments, but labels like enemy, friends, lovers...they are merely words. What matters is the heart."

Katara smiled. It felt like she was talking to her Gran-Gran. Uncle Iroh was such a gentle soul and it was hard to believe that his brother was such a tyrant.

"You're a wonderful talker, Uncle Iroh, I'm glad that I can call you my uncle," the water bender said softly as she took in the words of wisdom.

The two began to drink some more tea when one of the younger solders came on deck.

"General Iroh! Can we set up the equipment now?"

"I will fire a flame ball at you if you didn't," He laughed

_Bang_. _Clinks_. _And 'I'm Sorry"; Filled the air as the deck began to transform into a stage._

"Do you..." Katara began to ask, "Do you think me and Zuko can be a good pair?"

Uncle Iroh looked at the teenager in front of him and smiled warmly, "Katara... If I did not think you two were good for one other, I would not have left the coast to come get you."

As Katara was about to say something else, Zuko and 6 other men came on deck.

"Tara, dinner is ready," Zuko called from the other side.

She looked around and had not notice that the sun was starting to set. She saw a line of men bring out drums, mics, and liquor. Uncle Iroh, who was just sitting in front of her, had already gotten up and insisted that they bring the lotus board out to play chest. He called it Iroh's Tournament of War.

"Is it always so festive?" Katara asked as she walked toward Zuko.

"It's music night on the ship," The fire bender replied, "They're always excited about it. The crew men and women get to dress down and play songs, drink, and behave like regular people. If you like we can go see it after dinner."

"That would be nice," She replied, "Oh and Zuko?"

The Fire Lord looked at her, "Yes?"

"Sorry I said you slept with concubines,"

"Sorry I said your dress was too short, but it does beautiful on you,"

"It's still floor length you know,"

"Yeah, but it's still way to cute,"

Katara took the comment as is and blushed. Giving a small nod, her and Zuko went down into the hallways. The commotion upstairs was beginning to get louder as the men set up for their annual music festival. Going down the halls, Zuko lead Katara to a dinning room that he had set up for dinner.

As they entered the room, Katara took in the usual red décor and noticed the unlit candles. As Zuko pulled out Katara's chair and sat her down he lit a small flame at the end of his finger and snapped it. Suddenly all the candles lit up and created a glow throughout the room.

"Wow..." Katara said as she clapped in shock.

"Being a Fire Master, you tend to invent new tricks as you go along,"

"Do you do this for all your old girlfriend," Katara asked quietly as she lifted the lid of her dinner plate.

"Actually, besides you and a few casual dates, I had no time for girlfriends," Zuko replied joining her at the table.

"Really? There was no one who caught your eye?"

"Well, when you're in my position you really never know who loves you for you and who likes you for your title,"

Katara could see the small shot of pain that ran through Zuko's eyes as he said that, but chose not to push it any further, "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I had no time for dating either. After the war, Father allow me to travel to other bending tribes to teach them water techniques."

"I'm glad to hear that," He said smiling noting that he would be one of the few to capture and keep her heart.

Minutes pass as the both of them chat and ate. They didn't have that much to catch up on because they were frequently sending mail off and on, but they did talk about their accomplishments and goals. Zuko told Katara about a project he wanted to start when they got back to help the poorer community and Katara jumped at the idea. She had mention how it seemed similar to a project she accomplished in the North Pole and therefore got the position of leader.

"Katara," Zuko said as he touched his pocket.

"Yeah?"

"Uh..." he mumbled, "Do you have room for dessert?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"It's a Fire Nation speciality," he smiled as he got up and left the room.

* * *

"_Breathe_ Zuko..." he whispered to himself.

The fire bender was nervous. It was now or never. The only thing he ever got from his father were a few life lessons and one of them was: Make a good impression the first time because it matters the most. He had to do this perfectly or else she will never remember it the way he wanted her too.

Walking back into the room, he held a plate of pastries.

"These are called Fire Mail," he said putting one in front of him, "It's kind of like soft mochi- except only fire benders can create these perfectly."

"Why is that?" she asked

With a flick of Zuko's hand a small flame came out and he threw it toward the ball. The outside began to brown as the fire cooked the cake.

"Can't you do this with a camp fire?" Katara asked skeptically

"Yes... But you can't do this,"

As Katara stared at the ball in front of her she moved back slightly, fearing that the ashes would burn her and suddenly realized that the flame was changing shape. Instead of the wild flames that cooked the treat, a small heart began to appear and burned the shape on the top.

"Only fire benders can make the shapes," Zuko said smiling, "The fire comes from the cooking, but the mail comes from the message that the bender wants to say. Skilled benders, like me, can burn words into the cake as long as it is big enough."

Katara smiled and took a small bite of it. It was both warm and chewy which made it delicious.

"mmmm!" she exclaimed.

Zuko watched as she ate. It had been a while since he ate with someone other than Iroh or a royal guest. Taking a deep breathe he decided to man up.

"Katara," he said as he looked at the water bender.

"Yes?" She responded, finishing the last piece of her sweet.

"I know that you're only here because of an agreement... and that's no way to even start off a marriage. You're suppose to meet, fall in love, court one another, and then when the moment is right ask for the girl's hand in marriage."

"Yeah, but under these circumstances... I suppose we need to do everything out of order," she said smiling.

Zuko got up and walked around the table. Katara followed him with her eyes, but he took a spot behind her chair, using his hand to keep her eyes fixed on the empty chair in front of her.

"5 years ago, I found this necklace in a shop and decided that I would use it to lure the avatar out," the fire bender said, clipping katara's mother necklace off, "But I didn't know it was important to you. Therefore when I saw it again on the floor in the earth kingdom I naturally picked it up."

"Luckily you did too... I thought I would never see it again,"

"I know this is a bridal necklace that belong to your mother, therefore I would never want you to go without it," he said softly as he took the stone and clicked it into the bracelet, "But I also don't want others to think that I made such a wonderful thing, when I had no part in it."

"Oh it's okay, I assume that you don't take many hands on jobs anyways..." Katara said ignoring the fact that Zuko was basically right on top of her.

The fire bender clipped the necklace back around her neck, except this time it was the one he had made for her. Taking the chance he turned the chair around and kneeled down so he was eye level to his fiance.

"Katara, I know we didn't start off as friends. In fact, you probably hated me the most until we went on that little mission, but I want you to know that I'm going to try my best to make you happy. I'm going to try my best to make this worth your while. I'm going to try my best to make you fall in love with me," He said as he placed the bracelet on her wrist.

Katara had looked down and saw her mother stone in the middle of the large bangle. She was confused. If that was there, what did he put back on her neck. At that moment, Zuko pulled out a small mirror, holding it up to show her the reflection of his own creation.

"The heart will be a symbol of my love for you as both my friend, my ally, and my wife,"

"zu..zuko..." Katara said with soft eyes.

"I know this marriage is to keep the peace, but I'll make you fall in love with me because you are my Fire Princess. Even if it takes weeks, or months, or years, because" He said while getting up and leaning toward her ear, "I am already becoming quite fond of you..."

Katara's eye slightly blurred as she realized she was was beginning to cry. One moment she was eating cake and the next she was crying. Zuko was worried. Did he say something wrong? Did he mess up taking the necklace off?

"I- I'm sorry," he blurted out.

"It's not that... you didn't do anything wrong, I was just surprised," she said as she wiped her tears, "you thought of everything. You knew that I would want to keep my mother's necklace..."

"I know it's important to you, Tara."

"Did you make this?" she asked pointing to the stone on her neck.

"Well, we both know I could never produce something so amazing... But I drew the entire thing." he said smiling, "There's just one thing I need to ask you."

"what is it?"

"Will you marry me, Katara of the southern water tribe?"

The water master looked at the Fire Lord. She smiled and then blushed. Frowned and then laughed. Covering her face she nodded, "Yes."

Zuko pulled her up to a hug, "There _was_ one thing I did to the necklace," he whispered.

"paying for it does not count," Katara replied softly

"That's not it," he stated, "on the back of the necklace is today's date, August 5... so when we're older, we'll always remember what day you said yes. Today will be the day we start our lives as an us."

The two of them stay in a hug for a long time. Katara didn't really know what to say and she certainly didn't want him to see her blushing. Zuko, on the other hand, was mentally gloating about how smooth he sounded and made a mental note to pat himself on the back later.

The fire lord looked down, moving his upper body slightly away to see Katara's face.

"Are you blushing?" he asked with a smirk.

"No, I'm not!" She responded shyly

"Someone's a horrible liar," he mocked

"It's the candle light," The water bender groaned.

"It's your face,"

"Maybe it's your horrible eyes!" Katara exclaimed as she tried to move away.

Zuko tightened the grip on her as she began to wiggle and protest. As the two of them stood next to the table, he lightly pushed her against the edge, trapping her from moving away. For a long moment it was silent. The two of them looked at one another and suddenly, Zuko moved his face a little closer.

"k..k...kiss?" Katara thought as she saw him slowly close the distance.

Her eyes shut themselves and she stood still, waiting for the scent of cinnamon to intoxicate her, however, just before their lips touch...

"Zuko!"

The Fire Lord stopped and glared, "Uncle Iroh..." he whispered as he noted that he must kill the old man.

"Oh Zuko," Iroh sung, "Open the door,"

"GO AWAY!"

"That's no way to talk to your Uncle," Iroh protested.

"Go. Away"

"After I raised you, and traveled with you..."

"UNCLE"

"loved you, and looked after you..."

"IROH"

"bathed you after you had that-"

Zuko's eye widen as he ran toward the door, "NOT ANOTHER WORD!"

Katara soaked in the moment.

"If Uncle Iroh didn't interrupt..." she thought, "We would have..."

Her heart skipped a beat as her hand touched the necklace. She smiled, eyes focused on the bickering pair.

"Music Night, Music Night, music Night!"

"Uncle ,for the last time we will come later on,"

"You're missing everything now though!"

"FINE!" Zuko screamed as he stumped out the door forgetting his former engagement.

He could hear the sound of Katara's laugh as he heard two different pairs of feet behind him.

"So close..." he thought as he replayed the scene in his mind.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I decided to do a treat and bang out a couple of chapters today. I have work at the end of the week and I know that I won't be able to write as much then. I wanted to thank moonsunearth for all the time she takes to read and review. Also thanks to angelonearth4life for pointing out that I forgot to change the status when I posted the story!


	5. Important

**Chapter 5: Important**

**Author's Note: **Hello my lovely readers! I woke up this morning to 4 new reviews which made me really happy. I try to post up new chapters quickly, so I'm trying really hard to finish this one before tonight. I'm feeling a bit under the weather, so I apologize for any mistakes that may occur.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of these wonderful characters.

* * *

Zuko was visibly upset and he did not care if people saw him sulking in the corner. No one said that the Fire Lord couldn't have feelings... than again, somebody once told him that the Fire Lord couldn't expressed it.

"I was_ so close_," he thought as he replayed the entire scene in his mind, "and she wasn't moving away..."

Zuko looked up to see his blushing bride walking around with Uncle Iroh. He was introducing her to all the ship mates. The girls who had not met her yet was raving over the unique color of the water bender's eyes. The men on the ship complimented her beauty, but did not dare to go any further than that. He could tell that she was out of her elements and was stumbling over how she should act. Smiling, he felt a little better.

"Urg, I'm acting like a teenager!" Zuko mumbled as he forgot that he was only 20.

"Hello, Lady Katara," A voice suddenly called out that caught his attention.

"General Tai," Uncle Iroh said as he patted the man on his back, "You decided to come to music night!"

"Well, I would not miss it for the world," He responded smiling.

"You missed it last week when we did that cargo trade,"

"I was sick that week, General,"

"You were the one who loaded the ship," Iroh answered skeptically, "It must not have been too bad,"

"Well, The air was drafty..." Tai answered.

"Are you sure you didn't want to see our future Fire Lady?" Iroh teased, "Isn't she a vision in red?"

"Uncle Iroh, please stop joking," Katara laughed.

"Lady Katara, I must apologize for earlier today. I had yet inform the men of your stay, but rest assure, they now know who you are."

"Oh, it's fine, and please call me Katara," She answered, trying to get use to the formalities, "I wasn't really bothered by it at all. The Fire Nation's customs are different than ours and I must learn to get use to them."

The General smiled and suddenly yelled in a loud, booming voice, "Haru!"

Katara slightly jumped. They were only standing an arm length away and felt that screaming at the top of his lungs was unnecessary. A moment passed before a young man ran toward the group. He had brown hair and was about Zuko's size. He didn't seem like a person who would join an army, but everyone had their reasons for doing something.

"Apologize," Tai said, his friendly demeanor disappearing quickly.

"Lady Katara, I am so sorry," Haru said bowing his head down low, "I did not know you were the Fire Lord's fiance. I promise it won't happen again!"

Katara felt like a broken record, repeating once again that it was okay.

"Does Zuko always have to deal with this kind of thing..." She thought as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Oh! What a lovely necklace!" Haru said, looking up for his low bow.

"Why yes, is it a gift from Fire Lord Zuko?" Tai asked.

Iroh looked at the girl who was now slightly blushing. She gave them a small nod and told them that he had previously given it to her before they came to the Music Festival.

"It's a water tribe custom for the male to create a necklace for the lady. It shows their devotion and love for the relationship."

"What a creative look!" Haru exclaimed as he reached up to touch the stone.

Zuko had just arrived to greet the pair when his hand caught Haru's arm. His eyes sharpened as he gave a warning look to the teenager.

"Don't touch," He growled as he threw the recruit's arm back.

Haru had looked at the Fire Lord and fear ran through his eyes and back. General Tai, who was having a friendly conversation with Iroh was now furious at the recruit once more.

"HARU, WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT MESSING UP?!"

"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking sir!"

Tai was about to hit Haru on the head before Katara reacted. She bended a small stream of water and caught the general's arm. Everyone at the party turned to look and the band suddenly stopped playing. The air that was filled with laughter and noise had vanished.

"A mistake," Katara spoke, "Is _just_ a mistake. What will hitting him do?"

"They must learn discipline, Lady-"

"What they must learn is how to do their job, not be abused by a man who needs violence to control others!"

Everyone was quiet for a moment as Katara and Tai faced off. The man looked as though he was about to burn the very arm that was binding him. As he raised his fist, he could see the golden eyes of the Fire Lord. Taking a deep breathe to cool down, he regained his composure.

"You are right, my lady," He spoke softly and slowly, "I will make sure I take this lesson... and apply it later on."

Katara dropped the water stream and freed the General. The people who were watching before turned away after being glared at by Zuko. Uncle Iroh indicated for the band to play again so that the friendly atmosphere returns to the ship.

"Well, no need to ruin the festivities!" Iroh yelled, trying to erase the negative air that was showing up, "Just a small dispute between friends!"

"And You!" The water bender yelled pointing at the Fire Lord, "I am not an object that you can demand rights over!"

"You're my fiance, I can tell people to not look at you if I wanted to and they would be expected to do so!" Zuko yelled

"I don't belong to you," The water bender remarked.

"You are mines! I am the Fire Lord, I will not have people touching what's mines,"

"I'M NOT YOURS!" Katara screamed as she walked away.

Zuko grabbed her arm without thinking. As he tightened his grip, Katara created a stream of water to knock him down, but he quickly counter attacked the move with his own flames. Quickly, almost as though it was a reflex, Zuko fired a fireball at Katara, her dress making it impossible for her to react in time. As the flame approached rapidly to her face, it got burnt out and disappeared.

"Zuko," Uncle Iroh said as he clapped his hands.

Iroh had stopped the attack before it could hurt the water bender. He stood in between the two of them and his friendly appearance turned serious, "You do not attack a lady."

Zuko's eyes widen. Did he just do what he thought he did? The two of the them looked at one another as they turned around to face opposite directions.

"I'm.. going to the office," The fire bender said as he walked away.

* * *

"_What was I thinking..._" Zuko screamed as he paced back and forth.

He had grown so angry at Haru touching Katara that he took it out on her. He was stupid moron. Uncle Iroh said he had to control his anger and he thought he was making such progress.

"How did it end up like this..." He thought as he remembered the dinner they had before, "I knew I shouldn't have went to that _stupid_ music festival."

As Zuko was blowing steam in the room, he heard a knock at the door.

"Nephew, let me in," Iroh said.

The fire lord let out a loud sigh as he went to open the steel door. As he greeted his uncle, the old man walked into the office.

"Zuko, sit down," Iroh demanded.

"What happened tonight, Uncle?" he asked as he buried his hand into his face.

"You lost your temper again."

"I wasn't trying to hurt her," he said, "I just wanted her to understand that I care about her!"

"Well Zuzu, if you care so much... why are you sitting here in the dark?"

"Because I can't face Katara, she's probably going to kill me... and then after she's done she's going to kill me again!"

"You can't run away from something you find important, Nephew," Iroh said, "Remember the trip to the south pole?"

"Uncle, that was only a day ago, of course I remember."

"Remember how I stopped the ship at Ba Thao?"

"Yes, I remember," Zuko replied as he recalled being angry at the old man for throwing his time calculation off.

"I wanted to get some tea that I heard was good there because tea is important to me," Iroh spoke.

Zuko could tell where this was going. He had spend enough time with Iroh to know when he was going to lecture him or give him a life lesson. Yet, no matter what the story was, he always found it useful.

"When something is important, even if it seems unreasonable, you have to try to go for it. You care for Katara and she does not know that yet, but she could... only if you go out there. The longer you stay in here fighting over your mistake, the quicker you will lose her."

As Zuko contemplated over what the elder said, Iroh got up, "Well, there's only an hour of fun left for the night... might as well go enjoy my youth!"

As The Fire Lord heard the door close he pushed all the documents off his table, "Stupid Uncle," he said as he realize Iroh was once again right. He set his head on the table and groaned.

"fight for what's important..." he whispered as he suddenly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Zuko woke up confused. The entire ship seemed quiet as he walked out of the office. Heading down the halls he could see the servants had resume their normal duties and were currently avoiding his stare. As he walked up to the deck, he wondered where Katara was.

It was already dark. The moon light was the only light that existed. Zuko could feel the presence of someone near him, but couldn't tell where they were.

"A water bender," he thought, "would most lately be..."

Looking over the deck, the fire lord saw Katara in the water. She was sitting on a water bubble as the moon glistened across her body. He couldn't say anything because he was mesmerize by her beauty. The red dress fanned out around the water and created an illusion of her floating. It wasn't long until he realized that the bender in front of him was important and he had to fight for her.

"Katara," he said, hoping she would hear him out.

The Music Festival had ended an hour ago and Katara did not want to go back to Zuko's room. Both of them haven't talked to one another since the incident and frankly, she didn't want to start now. As she heard her name being called, she recognized the voice to be the young fire lord.

"Katara," He said again, "I'm sorry... can you just come back up here?"

"What am I suppose to do," Katara thought as she debated her options.

She could ignore him, bend the water and head back to the water tribe, but then her father would be disappointed in her. She had agree to do this for the world and could not back out of it now. She sigh. She could also just man up, head back , forgive the prick for being an ass and listen to the man. She could accept that she needs to calm down and change, but she didn't want to. There was a lot of things that she didn't want to start doing.

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you," She called out.

"You obviously can, you just answered me!" The fire bender responded.

Katara secretly smiled. Zuko had no childhood, so he always took everything seriously, even sarcasm. However, she was still upset with him. He had to learn that she is a person with her own mind and life. A marriage is something that strengthens that bond, not make her private property.

"But we don't technically have a bond yet, do we..." She thought as she started to feel a pinch of guilt run through her mind, "Maybe I was too hard on him..."

She had gotten mad at Zuko for simply telling someone not to touch her. In some cases, she should be glad that he cared so much to say that. She knew that Zuko was a hot head, but this entire thing was a new environment for her. He had to consider her feelings! Yet, shouldn't she consider his then...?

"I know I messed up, okay. I can't say the right things and I yell at people because I'm a hot-head," He said quietly.

"You're not really that bad..." She whispered.

Zuko heard her small voice, but couldn't make out the words. He tried to lean a little further, but realized it was impossible with the crashing waves. All he knew was that she wasn't yelling, which was a good sign to him.

"Can you just come up?" He said pleading with the water bender.

"I don't feel like it," Katara responded.

"I know you're not an object, Katara," Zuko said, "This is the first time I'm in a relationship with someone who knew me before I was the Fire Lord or Prince Zuko..."

Katara could hear a small pain in his voice. She had remembered that earlier the fire bender mentioned the fact that he couldn't tell who loves him for him, or for his title. Maybe there was some sort of connection. They were mail buddies for so long and before that, they were adventure buddies. She wasn't use to being an adult buddy with him.

"But I'm still learning, what can I do to make it up to you?"

"Learn to trust me!" Katara screamed, "Learn to accept that I can take care of myself, Zuko. I told you I fear no man!"

"You need to trust _me_ first, instead of lashing out at me!" Zuko yelled, "I was just doing this for you. I Just wanted to protect you, your my fiance! Even when we were younger you never heard me out, Tara. I had to risk my life, steal a bison, and take you across the country to earn your trust! You had mines with just a simple hug."

"If you trust me so much, jump down! See if I even want to save you!" She yelled, realizing that she was only trying to cover up her own mistake.

Katara's fist tightened. There was three things in the world that she could not stand: One, she hated when someone was picking on her family and friends, two, she hated when Sokka ate the food she left for herself and three, she hated being wrong. This time, _she was wrong._

She refused to look up, guilt overcoming her mind as she tried to paste together the words to say sorry. Zuko _was_ always saving her. When they traveled together he protected her from Azula. He saved her from being crushed by rocks in the temple and he rescued her from the pirates. The water bender sat there looking at her knees. She supposed it was stupid to stay mad at him when he was trying so hard to get her attention. Somewhere in between her debating, she had miss Zuko's last words.

"_All I want is for you to fall for me..."_

Just as Katara looked up, she saw something come down. Zuko jumped off the boat and landed right into the water. All the crewmen on deck ran over, screaming for help as the Fire Lord fell overboard. As Katara couldn't think, she drove into the sea, forgetting that she could have bend her way through quicker. As she went down, she could see Zuko sinking away from her, his last breathe running out.

"I trust you, Tara." he thought, "I trust you with my life. Maybe I was a little kid, but you were always special to me. I had to protect you tonight, just like I protected you before. Is that so wrong..?"

The last thing he could see was Katara's arm reaching for him, but he couldn't get himself to move. As he closed his eyes his vision went black. He could have sworn he saw tears in her eyes... or was it simply just the water from the ocean?

Katara reached for Zuko, her mind racing as she bend an air bubble around them to close the distance. She could hear the muffle screams onboard as they were beginning to fade away. Everything in that moment froze. Katara's vision blurred as she felt a tear fall down her cheek. She touched Zuko's face as he laid there in her arms. Slowly, she leaned down, capturing his lips with hers as she kissed her future fiance.

"I was just joking about jumping down..." She whispered as she pulled away, "You stupid fire bender..."

* * *

**Author's Note: **I decided to leave it as that ~ I May not have the next chapter up for a day or two, it depends on how much work I can get done after work... But I hope you all stay with me. I'm hoping by the time they reach the fire nation they'll fall in love a little more...and maybe within a few chapters the wedding can happen with a bit of lemon ~ It's sad that Zuko wanted the kiss so much and had to experience it asleep. Anyways, Thank you for reading.(:


	6. Coming into Feelings

**Chapter 6: Coming into feelings **

**Author's Note: **Hello my lovely readers, I wanted to say thank you for reading still. Also, moonsunearth, I wanted to thank you for reviewing and reading after almost every chapter! You really make me want to open my word document and continue writing. (:

I have a couple of chapters written already, I just need to go back and revise them. For the most part they are done, but I'm trying to make them longer since work will keep me away from my laptop for more than 9+ hours. Hopefully anything that happens will keep you guys wanting more of this... on the go story !

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Avatar, If I did I would have kept the original Zutara pairing :( Not kataang!

* * *

Zuko woke up to the smell of tea as he slowly opened his eyes. He began to focus his vision, as he looked to his side and saw Katara leaning against the bed. Her breathing was steady and slow which meant she had already fallen asleep. Getting up, his head ached. Exactly how long had he been asleep?

"I wouldn't push yourself."

"Uncle... What happened?" He asked quietly.

"Apparently, you jumped into the ocean, Nephew," The Master bender said as he took a sip of tea.

The Elder Bender put the cup down and picked up his china tea pot. Taking an extra cup, he poured the warm liquid inside and handed the drink to the Fire Lord. A long moment passed and Zuko did not know if Iroh was angry at him. He wasn't scared of being yelled at, but he did dread the lectures that was sure to make him feel horrible.

"Katara, was really worried..."

"I'm sure she was..." He whispered as he looked at the water bender.

"She refused to get dry until she knew you were okay. She even healed the small bruises that showed up on your body from the impact of the waves. The poor thing was shaking from the water."

Zuko sat there. At this moment, he wished that Iroh would lecture him, not tell him things that got his heart to sink to the bottom of his stomach.

"Why _did_ you jump off the boat," The General asked calmly.

"I...well...it's like..." He thought, "I want to say it's because Katara told me to jump, but..."

"Nephew, I know you well enough to know that you would never do anything that you did not want to do. I also know you well enough to know that you rarely listen to anyone when they tell you to do something outrageous, like jump off a ship at night," The elder remarked.

"I don't know why I jumped," Zuko said as he tried to remember what state his mind was in before he took a leap of faith, "I'm just confused!"

Iroh looked at his nephew, wondering where this talk was going to lead him.

"One morning I wake up and the Fire counsel tells me I'm marrying someone from the Water Tribe to create 'unity.' I spend hours blowing off steam and the next thing I know, I learn that it's Katara. My heart gets a pinch of relief that it was at least someone I knew, but then it hits me; _what if_ she doesn't even like me? I have to then decide if I want to write to her and get her opinion on this 'marriage,' but before I get the chance, _You_ and General Tai tied me up and threw me onto the Fire Nation's ship... Where I spend 2 agonizing days worrying about this meeting! Suddenly, I walk out, in the cold, and I see Katara. I keep thinking about what she means to me and my brain keeps shouting that she only thinks of me as a friend - or a brother! or... I don't know, Uncle. I don't know what I'm doing..."

"So you jumped off the boat?"

"I Didn't jump off the boat," Zuko remarked, "I simply just stepped over the side... and tried to walk on the air... and failed..."

"So now you want to be Aang?" Iroh asked mockingly.

There was a long silence as Zuko couldn't find any words to say to his uncle. Iroh knew that Zuko was only doing stupid things because he was falling in love. The problem was, Zuko didn't know it. His nephew was never good at handling his emotions. When he was trying to catch the avatar, he always rushed into everything. No surprise that love would show the same exact nature.

"Zuzu, how do you know that she doesn't think anymore of you?" His uncle asked.

"Well... She keeps yelling at me, Uncle!" Zuko exclaimed as he suddenly remembered that Katara was still sleeping near him. In a lower tone he spoke more calmly.

"She keeps arguing, she doesn't take any of my compliments, we only talk about the past, and she... she... she just keeps yelling at me!"

"I hate to break it to you my nephew, but it has only been a day since you guys been together and I believe that Katara is aggressive by nature," Iroh said while trying not to laugh, "Isn't that a quality in her that you like?"

"Still..." The fire lord whispered.

"Nephew, you only had one real relationship before Katara and that was because Azula and Mai loved to bother you. How are you so sure that what you feel is nothing more than a strong friendship?" Iroh inquired, trying to help the Fire Lord recognize his true feelings.

"The palace has hundreds of concubines for the workers, counselors and generals and everyday at least 10 of them approaches me and asks if I want special services. I know they are only asking because I am the Fire Lord. Girls on the street cling to me, they fall and expect me to help them up, why? Because I have this stupid crown on my head!"

Iroh looked at the fire bender. He had realized where Zuko was going because he has seen it with his own eyes. How long has it been since he had wish for someone to come and show Zuko that he is fine the way he is- honor or no honor, title or no title.

"But," Zuko continued, "Katara knew me as an enemy before anything else. She didn't care that I was a prince, she hated me anyways. Yet, as we joined the journey and worked together, she liked me for who I was... not what I had."

"So you jump off a ship, nearly drowned, and killed about 5 years off of her life simply because... she likes you for you?" Iroh asked coyly, "Zuko... I don't know if you knew this, but you could have just told her you liked her."

Zuko was quiet toward Iroh's words. He hated when his Uncle was right, it made him feel smaller than he already did. He hadn't realize how stupid his actions were until they were pointed out. Yet, did he like Katara? He had always wanted to protect her, even if it meant risking his own life. When he found out she hated him, he wanted to fix it. He wanted to know everything about this girl; what made her laugh, what made her sad... But that was because she was his friend, right?

"I guess... I jumped off because I wanted Katara to know I trusted her and that... I hope she could learn to trust me too. I don't want her to think I'm isolating her."

"Trust doesn't come from fear, Zuko," Iroh said softly, "It comes from action, but you can't expect Katara to trust you just because you drove into the ocean. You have to built it, slowly, just like how you rebuild the Fire Nation from the mess your father created. In time she will reciprocate your feelings, but until then please do not jump off anymore ships... or we will leave you back in the Fire Nation from now on."

Zuko chuckled as his uncle got up, "By the way, you slept for almost a day. We should be returning to the Fire Nation in a couple of hours. Try not to wake Katara up. The poor thing was up all night and morning trying to take care of you."

As Zuko heard the door open and close, he let out a sigh of relief. Getting off the bed, he stood beside Katara. How could a girl this small be able to do so much? Slowly, he placed his arm behind her back and under her leg to pick her up. As the water bender stirred by the small motion, Zuko froze. He was determined not to wake her up, but he wasn't sure how light of a sleeper the water bender actually was. As Katara readjust herself in Zuko's arm, her breathing returned to a slow pace.

The fire lord placed his fiance onto the bed. Pulling the blanket over her body, he took another moment to examine Katara. She had no bruises or cuts, but she did look a little pale. Her hair was a tangled mess and her face was back to its natural appearance. She must have chosen her own clothes after the incident because she was now wearing a red shirt with a red fire nation skirt. The necklace he had given her was still around her neck which made him instantly smile.

"Katara," He whispered as he leaned down slowly, "I... really... like... you."

With his final words, he gave the water bender a soft kiss on the lips, making sure he didn't put too much pressure on her. As he pulled away, he couldn't help but grin, leaning in to place one more kiss on her lips before heading out the door.

"I'm going to make myself better," Zuko thought, "It'll be like finding the Avatar all over again. I'm going to do whatever it takes to make Katara fall in love with me."

* * *

x x x

A few hours passed and the ship was an hour away from docking into the Fire Nation. Katara stirred in the bed as her body popped up. She looked around realizing she was in Zuko's bedroom still. Everything was the way it was earlier, except for one main thing; Zuko had suddenly gone missing. Running out the door and down the hallway Katara ran onto the deck. Looking around, she saw Iroh and General Tai drinking tea while playing on the Lotus board.

"Ah, Lady Katara," The General said as he got up to bow.

"Katara!" Iroh exclaimed, "How are you feeling, my dear?"

"Uncle Iroh, where's Zuko?" She asked suddenly, disregarding the men's comments.

"Don't worry about him, he got up a few hours ago. If you would like to say hi, Zuko may be in the office at the moment. However, we should be arriving inside the Fire Nation in just about an hour," Iroh mentioned.

"Please make sure you ask the servants to prepare your appearance," General Tai added, "Starting from the docks, you have an image to up hold for not only our nation, but for the royal family."

Katara looked at herself and realized that she must have looked horrible. Kicking the thought from her mind she turned around and ran back down the halls. She had left so frantically that she had missed the subtle grin Uncle Iroh gave her before the two Generals returned to their match.

"Ah ha!" Iroh screamed, "I win again, that will be 10 gold coins, General Tai."

* * *

x x x

Katara arrived in front of the doors leading to the office. Without even knocking, she burst through, her chest heaving heavily as she breathed in much needed air. Zuko looked up from the documents he was currently reading and stared at the water bender.

"What are you doing up? Why aren't you resting? Are you crazy?" Katara blurted out as she ran toward the desk, "Come on, Lord Hot Head, You need to rest!"

"Katara, I'm fine," he replied smirking.

"You're not fine, you were passed out for so long1 Let's go eat something!" She continued as she grabbed his arm.

"I had food already... it's alright," He said softly.

The water bender looked at the fire lord. His golden eyes were softening as he tried to reassure her that she didn't need to worry so much.

"Are... you sure...?" She asked quietly.

"Yes, I'm sure. I'm perfectly fine. I feel as thought I can take on an entire army of fire benders."

"Then," Katara said as she took a deep breathe in, "DON'T YOU EVER DO SOMETHING SO STUPID AGAIN!"

Zuko was slightly taken aback. She was so worried a moment ago and now she was mad. He didn't have anything to say, but in the back of his mind he could hear Katara lecture him about stupidity and water restrictions. _This was the girl he was going to marry. _

Normally, he would never be caught dead acting so improper and childish, but he had already determined that he was going to make her fall in love with him. He had spend his entire life being a grown up and for once he wanted to be a teenager. He couldn't chose where he was, but he can chose what he did.

"This is the girl I'm going to love," He thought smiling.

"I don't care if I'm dying and you have to jump into lava to save me don't-"

As Katara was rambling on about the things that Zuko could not do, he grabbed her arm and pulled her down to his chair. Without a moment of hesitation, he crashed his lips onto hers, almost as though it was the last thing he was ever going to do. The kiss itself was innocent, but as innocent as it was, it felt amazing. The two of them had kissed before, but the other one didn't know about it yet. Perhaps that was what made it so much more magical now. The two of them were actually awake to experience it together. As The fire lord continued to hold onto the bender's lips, Katara wrapped her arms around his neck, taking a seat on his lap as the two of them began to turn innocence into desire.

Katara had kiss other boys before, but this was different. She could smell the scent of cinnamon intoxicate her mind as her lips yearned for Zuko's. A few moments had passed before the two benders pulled away from each other. As Katara's blue eyes stared into the Fire Lord's, she quickly averted her stare to hide the blush that was creeping across her cheeks.

Giving her a small hug Zuko quietly said, "I'm Sorry, Katara. I won't do anything to upset you again."

"I.. Um.. ha?" The water bender replied as her mind went blank.

"Please, ask one of the servants to get you ready, we should be entering the Fire Nation soon."

Zuko flashed her a smile as he lead her to the door while calling a maid over. As she was being whisked away by the help, she turned her head back to see the fire bender leaning against the frame of the door. She wasn't quite sure what had happen, but she didn't regret it either. In some part of her mind, she was even wishing that it went on longer. As she felt the tugs and pull of the maids, her mind drifted into another state of thinking.

"Zuko," She thought, "Is definitely not just a friend anymore..."

She felt her lips lift up into a small curve as her finger tips ran themselves across it. She barely heard the cries of a maid who nearly fainted over the fact that Katara had messed up all the hard work she put into doing her lips. At the moment, Katara didn't care if she looked ugly. She couldn't help, but wonder what else could happen if in just 2 days her whole world got turned upside down.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hello my lovely readers, I always love to see when my review count changes. It really makes me happy to see that people are taking their time to write me a comment. I wanted to leave you guys this chapter because I am about to go to work, but when I come back I am definitely going to revise the next chapter so it can go up tomorrow.

Thank you again lovelies :)


	7. The Fire Nation

**Chapter 7 The Fire Nation**

**Author's note: **I feel like I leave something important in every chapter... only because I want each one to be important. Thank you so much for reading and double thank you for the people who review! It makes my day, even if it's only a line or a word... or a smiley face.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Any of the Avatar Characters, Just the ones that I make up to make my plots work.

* * *

Katara looked at herself in the mirror. It never fails to amaze her on what the power of make up could do for a person's appearance. The last time the maid dressed her, she felt like a princess. Now, she looked like a queen, which she supposed made more sense.

The bottom of her hair had been curled a little more so that her natural waves were more defined. The top section was put in a messy bun with cascading curls falling from it. The dress she had on was another floor length dress, she had only hope this time Zuko didn't think it was _too short. _The dress was strapless again, but the top was a beautiful field of fabric roses. Underneath her breast was a rhinestone belt made from ruby crystals as the bottom of the gown flown out with layers of silk. The entire thing worked together to make her not only look skinnier, but taller. The water bender kept touching the dress, astonished at the simple elegant a piece of cloth could have.

"This is certainly nothing like Gran-Gran's dress..." she whispered.

Katara kept Zuko's necklace proudly around her neck. She got the bracelet with her mother's stone in it and placed it soundly on her right wrist. Catching her reflection on the dresser mirror, she noticed that her face had more make up on than before. Instead of a pink shade, they had applied a softer red tone to her mouth. To balance the rest of her face, they dressed her eyelids with copper eyeshadow and lined her them with dark black ink. The finishing touch was a rosy blush to make her cheeks stand out. The maids told the master bender that it was important for the Fire Lady to look her best.

"Is this even me?" She asked as she tried to get use to seeing herself in red.

There was a sudden knock at the door as Katara went to answer it.

"Afternoon, Katara! You look beautiful, the girls did an amazing job."

"Uncle Iroh, what are you doing down here?" The water bender asked surprised.

"I was wondering if you wanted to join me in some afternoon tea before docking?"

Katara smiled at the old man and nodded her head. Together, they walked down the halls and up to the deck. Some of the crewmen were fixing the sail when they turned their head. A few of their mouths dropped when they saw Katara, but she didn't notice any of them. As the two benders took a seat at a small table Iroh had set, the men debated whether or not they wanted to keep looking at the minx in front of them.

"Dude," One of them said, "She's really cute."

"I Know really! How did the Fire Lord score that?"

"The things I would do to her..."

"Seriously?" A voice mumbled, "What would you want to do with her?"

"Well, If I was alone I would definitely get her out of that dress. I would take my sweet time to lay her down on the bed- or the floor- or even in the woods! It wouldn't matter as long as I got some of that- What's wrong with you guys?"

The crew members froze at they looked at their babbling companion. All at the same time, they took in a deep breathe to point their finger at a figure behind him. Turning around slowly, he saw no one other than-

"F-f-f-f-f-fire Lord Zuko," He stuttered, his life flashing before his eyes.

"I'm sorry," The fire bender said, "I couldn't hear what you said. _Repeat it._"

"I'M SORRY! FORGIVE ME!"

"FORGIVE US!"

"PLEASE!"

"DON'T KILL US!"

The commotion around them drew in the attention of the benders near them. Katara watched as she tilted her head to the side and rubbed her eyes. She had thought that she was seeing thing, but later on noticed that all men drop down to the floor and shouted inaudible things to Zuko. The fire bender's arms were crossed as he tapped his foot, steam coming out from the bottom on his soles. Looking up from his play toys, Zuko smiled at Katara and Iroh, waving his hand to indicate that there was nothing to see here.

"It's... a nice day today," Katara blurted out as she tried to ignore the fact that a mass murder could be happening right next to her.

"Why Yes," Iroh said eyeing his nephew, "It's generally nice... in the Fire Country."

Iroh poured Katara another cup of tea as he looked around. He had heard a short scream erupt from the side, but just as soon as it came out, it disappeared.

"What happened to all the men," The old general asked himself as he noted that all the sail mates went missing.

Katara was slightly too occupied to think about Zuko killing somebody. They were getting closer to land and the anxiety was beginning to sink it. She had agree to do all of this, but she didn't realized that it would be so soon. She didn't have time to read any books because she had to take care of Zuko and the time that she set aside to learn royal manners was quickly interrupted by sleep.

"Maybe I'm in over my head..." The water bender thought as she fiddled with the rim of her cup.

"What's on your mind, Katara?" Uncle Iroh asked suddenly.

Katara slightly jumped as she had forgotten where she was. She looked up toward the sky and saw nothing but clear blue weather. As she followed the atmosphere, she noticed that there was only 1 cloud floating around; One cloud that was out of place on this cloudless day.

"Uncle Iroh," She said softly, "Have you ever felt like you were out of place?"

Iroh looked at his future niece, "I can't really say I ever had, but I'm not too sure I haven't either. Do you feel 'out of place?'"

"I'm just a little nervous," She continued, "I feel like- like... I'm in over my head. I haven't learned any of the rules and I couldn't pick up any royal manners! I don't know how to run a country, I don't even know how to _help_ run a country! I'm still just waiting to fall in love with-with..."

"Slow down there, you don't have to worry," Uncle Iroh said as he tried to ease her nerves, "Just be yourself. The fire nation needs someone like you, not another voiceless Lady that follows their command. You don't need to change who you are to fit into society, Katara. _People_ will love you for who you are, not because you know which spoon to use for soup."

Zuko stood there for a while as he watched the small table intensely. He was judging from Katara's body movements as to whether or not he wanted to walk over there. Seeing that she was so tense before, he could tell that she was probably thinking another stupid thought like; was she ready to be fire lady. Then her tense appearance faded into a more anxious look. Her straight back was now bent forward as he could tell she was now doubting herself.

"She's as readable as a book," Zuko mumbled.

As he watched the two benders talk to each other, he had wonder why him and Katara never had any deep conversation. Why wouldn't she share her problems with him? Didn't he earn some brownie points from her? As his mind wondered, he could hear the cries of men from below him. Looking into the sea, he could see 3 or 4 men trying to catch up with the ship. Zuko had thrown the workers overboard for their lack of intelligence. At least, that was what he was going to tell Uncle Iroh when he ask what had happened.

"Wasn't there 5 men?" he wondered as he recount the figures in the water.

The fire lord saw the tower men look at him. They both shot stares back to one another as they asked if he wanted anything done. Shrugging his shoulder, he pointed his finger to the side which meant that he wanted someone to go fish their coworkers out of the water. Seeing the people race down the tower, he mentally noted that he had to screen the workers better before hiring them.

His eyes traveled back to his fiance as he let out a sigh of relief. Iroh and Katara was back to their friendly gestures as he figured his uncle had calm down the water master. Walking toward the table, he could already tell that Katara was beautiful in her attire.

"I need to tell the servants to make her ugly," He thought, "But then again she would kill me for controlling her life.

"Nephew, are you going to say something or are you going to stare at Katara with that weird look on your face?"

"Uncle Iroh..." Zuko said while forcing a smile, "Shouldn't you be getting dress by now?"

Katara tensed up a little as she heard Zuko's voice. The moment he was there, she suddenly remembered the kiss that they shared. She was trying to forget about the entire thing, but she couldn't. Something inside her wanted more than just a few moments of Zuko. Trying to shrug it off, an awkward laugh came out and Iroh looked at the young girl skeptically.

"It only takes a man mere moments to get dress, Zuzu. Why not join us for some tea?"

"Sure," He responded as he took a seat across from his fiance.

As Zuko poured himself some tea, Iroh went on about the various places in the fire kingdom that they should visit. The Fire Lord sat there ignoring his uncle's stories as he concentrated on Katara, specifically on her lips. _Red_. He would have done anything for a kiss at that moment. He wanted to know if the color would come off or would it stay on as he pushed her onto the floor. He wanted to know what sounds would come out of her mouth as bite her soft flesh.

"Zuko," The elder bender said for what seemed like the tenth time.

Realizing that the water bender and his uncle was staring at him, Zuko came back to reality.

"Uncle, Shouldn't you get ready soon? You're still in yesterday's clothing."

Katara had notice that Zuko was no longer dressed casually. Instead, he was in an outfit similar to the one he had on when he arrived at the South Pole. Dressed in a long red robe, Zuko had the fire nation insignia on his back. There was gold strips of fabric at the end of his sleeves as a black shirt peeked through the loosely tied sash around his waist. His hair was in a top knot as the Fire Lord crown stood in the center. The entire outfit was focused on the top of his body as she noticed that he only had a simple pair of red pants on with black boots.

"I can see the flags from the gate," Iroh said as he got up, "I should probably get dress then... Zuko, have someone inform me when we hit land. You know how I like to take my time."

The two benders watched as the elder got up and disappeared under deck. It was quiet for only a moment, but a moment seemed like an eternity.

"You look nice today," Katara said as she tried to act normal.

"You look beautiful as always," Zuko replied indifferently.

Another moment passed as Katara could feel her heart rate accelerating. Everything was different. Before today, she would have been fine with throwing dirt at Zuko's face. Now, they were openly expressing their feelings for one another. _Feelings_. It was something she had never thought she would develop toward Zuko, but she had to admit that she felt a connection with him. He may be a prick sometimes, but she realized he had his good points.

"Like he's a really good kisser..." She thought as she looked up from her cup of tea.

She could see Zuko staring at her and no matter how long she stared back he wouldn't turn away.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"It's not just nothing, you're burning holes into my face," she replied.

"I'm doing no such thing," He answered, "If I were burning holes in you, you would be screaming."

She had forgotten that he was a fire bender and cursed at her poor choice of words, "What I meant was... you're staring at me."

"Because you look nice today," He said smiling.

She looked at him and turned away, blushing as she tried to calm her nerves.

"You're just missing _one_ thing," He said softly as he moved a seat closer to her.

Katara's eyes stay fix on the sea as she looked at the crashing waves. She could feel Zuko get closer to her and had only anticipated what was going to happen next. After a few moments passed, she decided that it was all in her head and that he would never do anything in the open. He was much to proper for that and would never ruin his tough guy act for a little peck. As she turned her head to speak up, she turned herself right into Zuko, whose face was currently 3 inches away from hers.

"uh..." she whispered as she tried to force something out.

"You're missing something," The fire lord said with a smirk, "Close your eyes."

Katara didn't know what to do- and that was beginning to happen a lot. Before her mind could register what he said, her eyes shut themselves. She waited for something to happen, anything. For the most part she wanted him to kiss her, to push her down against the table and devour her lips with his. Yet, nothing ever happened. Feeling stupid, Katara opened her eyes and saw her fiance drinking tea, looking straight into the sky as she felt stupid for waiting there.

"What was that for?" She asked slightly confused.

"I told you, you were missing something," He responded as he tried to hide his smile.

"But you didn't do anything..."

He looked at her and shook his head. Pulling out a small mirror, he showed the water bender her own reflection. She quickly noticed a red flower piece was placed in her hair. It was a flower comb made out of rubies and diamond that looked as though it would cost her an arm and a leg to buy. She awed over the shine and beauty it had and looked back toward the fire bender.

"Zuko, this is beautiful..."

"Yeah, it compliments you perfectly," he added, "It belonged to my mother. I felt it looked better on you than inside a box."

"I can't take something like this from you," The water bender said as she tried to remove the hairpiece.

Zuko grabbed her hand to stop her. He looked at her for a moment, "I want _you_ to have it, Katara. Besides... you're always going to be with me so there's no need to worry about never seeing it again."

"Always," The water bender thought as her heart skipped a beat.

Ocean blue connected with golden flames as the two benders stared into each other's eyes. The wind softly blew Katara's hair around as Zuko catch a section in his hand, pinning them before her ear as his finger touched her cheek. Closing his eyes, he began to lean closer toward her. All the previous time this had happen, Katara had stood still and waited for him to kiss her. This time, she began to move herself closer, her lips yearning for the same shock that ran through them earlier that day.

"FIRE LORD ZUKO!"

The two benders jumped as their forehead bumped into one another. Letting out a small 'ow,' Zuko cursed at the fact that he was always, _always_, interrupted. He looked up toward the direction of the scream and saw Haru, the new recruit that kept pissing him off.

"What. is. It?" The Fire Lord asked as he tried to mask his obvious anger.

"General Tai... told me to inform you that we will be docking in 3 minutes!" The teenager stated.

"Thank you," Zuko replied slowly, "Please inform my uncle and get the staff ready."

The boy ran off down the stairs as the fire bender rolled his eyes. He let out a heavy sigh as he mentally debated as to whether or not he wanted to light Haru on fire. He could see that they were reaching land, he was right on the deck! Why on earth would he need to be reminded?

The ship came to a jerk as it began to dock onto the bay. The crewmen and maids were yelling orders as they tried to pack and unload all their things to head home. Katara stood up and looked straight out toward the land.

"You're going to do fine," Zuko said as he noticed the worried look on her face.

"Zuko," Katara said as she grabbed his hand.

The Fire Lord stopped and looked at her, his body mid-walk as he stared at the water bender. She took a quick look around to see if anyone was there. A couple of people passed in and out, but they knew better than to spy on the Fire Lord. When she determined that the coast was clear she leaned up and gave Zuko a small kiss on the cheek.

"Take care of me today, okay?" She asked smiling.

The fire bender laughed, "I was planning on watching you burn."

"How dare you!" Katara screamed taken back by the comment.

"I'm kidding. You're not the only one who can joke."

"Well, your jokes are horrible," She mentioned crossing her arms.

"Fine, I'll take care of you if you give me a kiss later on."

The two of them left bickering as they walked toward the halls. Too captivated by one another, they had missed the small movements in the shadow. General Tai was leaning behind the door and his hands were rolled up in a tight fist. Taking one last glare at the spot the two were previously in he growled softly and began to head down himself.

* * *

x x x

Katara's heart was doing flips. Upon getting off the ship, a small group ran up to greet the Fire Lord. They had all looked at him strangely as they noticed the small girl near him. Katara didn't know what to say so she gave them a small wave, however, the crowd took a step back. She was already discouraged and she hadn't even said anything out loud. Before she could get some closure from Zuko or Uncle Iroh, they had to leave right away to address the people.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Zuko said as he stood in front of a growing Crowd.

Katara was told to stand on the side until Zuko introduced her. Uncle Iroh stood close to her as General Tai and Haru stood behind them. The water bender watched as everyone gathered in the middle of the plaza, excited to see their king. She wanted to reach out for Iroh's arm, but realized that it was probably too late and that it would be unladylike.

"As you guys know I was gone for the pass 4 days in order to get a special person. We had previously announced that there was an engagement between me and a young lady from the water tribe. It is my pleasure to show you all today your future Fire Lady, Miss Katara of the Southern Water Tribe."

The entire streets were quiet as Katara took a deep breathe in. Her mind was telling her feet to move, but her legs wouldn't budge. She could hear the growing whispers of the crowds as some of them began to recognize that she was in the Avatar group.

"You can do this," She thought, "If you can save the world... you can certainly handle this..."

Iroh gave her a small pat on her shoulder to assure her that everything was going to be okay. As she gave him a smile back, she slowly made her way up toward Zuko. She could hear 'ous' and 'awes' as she walked passed the faces of people she didn't know. Feeling extremely out of her place, she picked up her feet and arrived next to her fiance.

"This woman is not only my fiance, but she is my companion from 4 years ago. I hope you guys show her the love and respect that you have shown me for the past 4 years. Together, I hope that her kindness and my strength will create a better nation for all of us. I know that this is sudden and that many of you will have to adjust to the change, but I hope you all know that my love for this lady runs as deep as the love for my homeland. Please treat her nicely."

The crowd let out their applauds as Zuko took a small bow. The water bender could see the shine of hope in the peoples eyes as they cheered for the fire bender. She had registered everything that Zuko had said and didn't miss the fact that he used the word love to describe his feelings for her.

"Go ahead and say something," The Fire Lord whispered as he motioned Katara to take the stage.

"I don't know what to say," she answered back frantically, trying to conceal her fear with a smile.

"Say anything," The fire bender whispered, "They're good people and they would never throw anything at you... as long as they know the Fire Lord is in range."

"You didn't tell me I had to talk to them..."

"Katara, dear... you're going to have to talk to them," Zuko said softly, "_There_ I told you."

Katara groaned as she noticed that their bickering was only drawing attention. She didn't have anything prepared and she was never a good public speaker. The last time she talked in front of a crowd was when she snuck into the earth bender camp. Looking around, she could see the faces of people who needed hope.

"People of the Fire Nation... I am honored to have you guys welcome me into your home," she said slowly, "I hope that you can all accept me as Fire Lady because I wish for nothing more than the happiness and prosperity of this nation. Things has happened in the past, but any horrid feelings that use to exist is nothing more than a mere dream now. Four years ago me and the Fire Lord worked hard together to destroy any evil that threatened peace. Now, I want to work hard with him to create a new world where children can continue to run around town carefree."

"She's taking the kid approach," Zuko thought as he tried to conceal his smirk, "Smart idea."

"I may not look like much of a person, but I will always try to help anymore who needs it. I love this land as much as I love my hometown because," The water bender continued, "This too is now my home."

Taking a small bow, katara heard nothing from the crowd.

"Oh my god, they hate me," she thought as she froze in fear.

Suddenly, she heard a small clap from beside her and looked up to see Zuko smiling, his hand reaching out for hers as a roar of noise erupted from the audience. As she took a step back, she can hear cheers and 'Yeahs!' from the people of the Fire nation.

"It's going to be okay, Fire Lady!"

"You're so beautiful!"

"We Believe in You!"

The water bender felt a jolt of happiness and relief rush over her body. She could feel herself falling in love with these people as they opened their hearts to her. Whether or not they truly believed in her or was simply following Zuko's lead... she wouldn't know. Yet, perhaps one day she would.

"I thought that the fire nation people were going to be more... mean," she whispered to Zuko.

"I thought people in the south poles would have penguins as pet," he responded, "but you never really know something until you see it for yourself."

He smiled at her and she smiled back. Uncle Iroh, who was on the side, clapped as he saw the instant success of the pair.

"It looks like the unity agreement is working," Iroh said

"Yeah, the citizens love her," General Tai responded.

"Who wouldn't, she's such a nice lady," Haru answered as he clapped louder for the couple.

Uncle Iroh walked toward his nephew and waved to the public. He had informed them that they must get back to the palace, but would come out tomorrow for a stroll around town. As the group disbanded and the commotion died down Katara let out a deep breath.

"You guys do this all the time?" she asked.

"Everyday," Zuko responded.

"More on Tuesday when we go for walks," Iroh laughed.

Katara had look around and saw nothing, but local buildings. She had figure that the Fire Nation Palace was a big mansion, however, could not find it.

"So where is this palace...?"

General tai cleared his throat and pointed his finger toward a hill 5 miles away, "It's about a 40 minute walk from here."

Katara's smile turned into a frown as she heard that number. She shook her head and laughed, "Oh... how nice..."

"But we have these," Zuko said as he reappeared with a horse, "We don't walk too often to town."

He got on top of a white stallion as he extended his hand out for Katara. She had never ridden on horses, but assumed it was like riding on Appa.

"You're going to have to sit with your legs on one side," Zuko commented as he got off the horse.

Picking her up, Katara let out a small scream that got the attention of neighboring citizens. Quickly gaining her composure she gave them a shaky smile.

"What on earth are you doing?" She whispered to the fire bender.

"Here."

Zuko had picked Katara up to place her on the horse. After getting her positioned correctly, he joined her on top, "Just hold on to me," he said as he grabbed onto the ropes.

Katara had turned her body slightly so that she was clinging onto Zuko's chest. She could hear the screams of girls as they squealed over how sexy Zuko looked. Many of them shot Katara a look of hate, but she could have been imagining it.

"You sure have a lot of fans," Katara said as the horse began to move.

"Maybe, but I never noticed," he answered nonchalantly.

Katara held on a little tighter as Zuko picked up his pace. She could hear the footsteps behind them as Iroh and General Tai followed behind with their own ride.

"Doesn't the horses get tiered?" Katara asked as she could hear the panting of the creature.

"They only come out every once in a while. Normally we either take the horses or we take the royal carriage."

"You guys have a carriage?" She asked as she pictured a royal pumpkin carriage, "Why didn't you use it today then?"

"Well, for one, Haru is using it to take the luggage back to the palace and two... I wanted to spend some time with you where no one can interrupt us."

"So you're just being selfish," she commented as she tried to hide her smile.

"Call it as you wish, but you're still hugging me."

"Because I don't want to fall off!"

"I'll catch you no matter where you fall," The Fire Lord said with a smirk.

Katara groaned, but she had to admit that this was nice. The remaining of the trip was quiet as she took in the scenery and the town. It was different than the south pole. The fire nation had houses and buildings as well as various stores and restaurants. They were made of wood or bricks, nothing like the tents she had back home.

The people on the streets were general dressed in red and there were couples and children sitting around the open spaces. She saw the trees that Iroh had previously mentioned, but never imagined them to look so beautiful. There were various colors packed together which made them seem like a sunset in the sky. As she looked around, she could see a large building come into view and her eyes widen at the sight of the place.

"Who goes there?" The guard on top of the gate asked.

"Fire Lord Zuko," The fire bender responded, "We have just arrived back from our journey. Open the gate."

The men worked quickly to fulfill the fire bender's order and as soon as they got inside the palace, Zuko got off the horse. Dusking his clothes off, he could see that Katara was struggling to get off the horse. His lips turned into a small smile as he reached his arms out.

"Jump."

"Jump where?" Katara asked looking at him.

"Right here."

"I'm not jumping into your arms," she huffed.

"Than I guess you're gonna stay up there," Zuko remarked, "Especially since you have that beautiful dress on... and it's not like you want to ruin it or anything because Iroh picked that one out. He was quite fond of it too. Reminded him of something his sister wore on her days off..."

Katara looked down and realized that she did have a beautiful dress on. Not only was it beautiful, but it looked beautifully expensive. Groaning at the fire bender she rolled her eyes.

"Catch me," she said as she jumped down.

Zuko felt a weight change as he caught Katara in his arms. Twirling her around, he noted that she wasn't heavy and felt rather light. As Uncle Iroh and General Tai arrived to the castle, he adjusted his clothes and returned to his usual serious demeanor. Iroh delegated tasks to the workers as Haru arrived to the gates.

"Tai, can you bring the horses back to get some water?"

"Sure General Iroh."

General tai went to put the horses back in their stables as he saw a note attached to the door. Reaching out for it he recognized the writing on the parcel and growled:

_General Tai,_

_I do hope you do not forget about our agreement.  
I ask you do not mess this up.  
I'm not sure how happy your Fire Lord would be if he found out what you had plan for his wife. _

_X _

* * *

**Author's Note: **Well this chapter was the opener to the fire nation arrival! Now the real fun can began! I'm already working on the next chapter and most lately it'll be up within a day or two. I got started on this one when I got home and finished revising it in 2 hours. _Thank you so much for reviewing guys._ Also, when I use to write a lot of fanfictions, whenever I ended a chapter I would post a snipet of the next one for the readers... would you guys like that? Or should I just leave it as a mystery. Let me know okay? : )


	8. Save the Date

**Chapter 8: Saving the Date**

**Author's Note:** I actually figured out how to approve all my guest reviews! Go figure that clicking around can do wonders for the mind. I just got home and the first thing I did was hop onto my computer to write the rest of this chapter out. You guys are loved. I went through some of the comments and I feel like I must say it's been a long time since I've watched Avatar! I'm not going to lie. I'm writing some of the characters as OOC, but I'm hoping they fit the general mold.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of these lovely characters.

* * *

"Katara, I have a small meeting to attend," The Fire Bender said, "Can you wait here for a while?"

"I can't go around?" She asked.

"I prefer you _not_."

"Why?" The water bender said with her arms crossed.

"There are just... some weird people walking around here; I would feel safer if you just stay in one spot," He responded.

"You mean you're not the only weirdo in the Fire Nation?" Katara gasped as she tried to sound shocked.

"Funny," He remarked, "Can you _please_ just stay here."

"Zuko, I don't want to stay in a boring room with people looking at me."

"No one is looking at you," He said.

Katara raised her eyebrow as she cleared her throat. She had turned Zuko around and much to his surprise, everyone was staring at them. Quickly, the staff had split into different directions as they pretended to do something important.

"See, no one is looking."

The water bender was about to hit the Fire Lord before he let out a small sigh.

"Fine, I know a place that'll interest you," He said as he took her hand, "Follow me."

Katara almost stopped as she saw how elaborate the inside of the palace truly was. The halls were decorated with flower and photographs of people and memories that she would never know. The floors were made out of wood, but were covered with long, red carpets. As she looked up toward the ceilings she had noticed that there were no cracks or dents in the entire building. Not only was it expensive inside, but well maintained. Coming to a short halt, Zuko had stopped which caused the water bender to bump into him.

"Ow..."

"This is the palace's library," The Fire Lord said as he disregarded the small pressure on his back.

As he opened a pair of mahogany door, Katara walked into the room. The palace's library was almost as big as the one from the air temple. It went on for miles and was filled from head to toe with books and scrolls. Everything was well preserved as the room held no speck of dusk or webs. She had realize that Zuko came from a royal family, but not even the entire south pole could make up this castle.

"You can look at whatever you want here. My family made it a strange hobby to collect things from all over the world. If you're interested, there might even be some water scrolls."

Katara smiled and nodded. She knew that Zuko just wanted to keep her in one spot, but she didn't mind giving in as long as she had something to do.

"Wow, you even have old scrolls here," She said as she looked around.

"I'll come right back after the meeting," The fire lord said as he walked away.

x x x

A while had pass before Katara decided to really take a look around. She noticed that most of the books were in different languages and that some of them were simply children books. Uncle Iroh had a tendency to buy everything he liked when he went into town and she figured that it must have ran in the family. Picking up a small red book, she read the title 'Life of the Nation." She opened the object and skimmed through it, realizing that it was almost like a book of rules and codes. Taking it back to a small chair she sat down and got comfy.

"Maybe it'll be good for me to learn some history considering that I'm going to be... Fire Lady."

Katara read the first section:

_The Fire Nation's biggest pride is their own honor. Without honor and words, we are merely creatures without a purpose. We must respect others for their class and must never over step the people above us._

"Now I see why Zuko was so honor crazy as a teen..." she mumbled as she skimmed through the pages.

_For centuries we have been a strong nation that dominated most of the neighboring villages. Opposing us has always been the Water Tribes, who unlike the Earth Kingdom, created more obstacle in battles for us. They could counter our attacks, mere fire turning into steam around them... _

"At least they knew we were strong," She remarked smiling.

The water bender kept reading as she let out a small yawn. History was always fun to hear about when it came out of Gran-Gran's mouth, but this book seemed like it was trying to brainwash others. Slowly, Katara's frequent reading grew lighter as she fell asleep on the chair.

x x x

THUMP.

Katara jumped up as she heard a sudden sound. She looked around to register where she was and noticed that the book she previously had had fallen onto the floor. Letting out a small sigh she laughed at how silly she was and realized that she had no idea how long she had slept for.

"Zuko's not back yet," She groaned as she went to put the book back.

Finding the spot she had went to, she placed the object in its original home. Turning around her eyes suddenly spot a scroll with a water symbol on it. She took it out and unrolled it to see instructions for a move, specifically for the water whip technique. Smiling, she remembered that that was the first move she had ever learned. She let out a small laugh as she realized that she went through so much trouble for a piece of parcel that Zuko had sitting around in a dull room.

"Come to think of it..." She thought, "That's the same time that he found my mother's necklace."

She reminiscence about the night that she was in danger. She had not learn to master her bending and was currently facing off with a group of angry pirates. Feeling afraid, she knew she had to run, but ran straight into the arms of a certain fire bender. She didn't register it at the time, but now she noticed that Zuko was always quite taller than her. She recalled the feeling she got when Zuko had suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her away.

"I'll save you from the pirates..." She whispered as she remembered what he had said that night.

Her hands lingered over the scroll as her mind began to play a new story. She would run away from the pirates, scared of being caught, and would suddenly run into Zuko. Without saying another word he would grab her arms and bring her into the woods. As the night passed by, they would hear cries from the pirates, but he would reassure her that it would be okay. As the group got closer to them, he would pin her against the tree and tell her to be quiet as he shielded her from sight. Maybe then he could say-

* * *

"I'll save you from the pirates."

Katara jumped as a warm breathe ran down her neck. She had moved her hands to bend a whip, but realized there was no water around her. Instead, she turned around quickly and saw no one other than her fiance smiling back at her.

"I believe that was what I had said," He remarked as he noticed the scroll in her hand.

"Yeah and you didn't save me at all," She commented.

"Obviously... I was waiting for the right time."

"More like you wanted to use me as a lure for Aang!"

"No need to confuse ourselves with details," Zuko said as he shrugged, "Ready for the tour?"

"Are you done with your meeting?"

"I left and told them that me and you were going to create a successor for them. They were more than thrill to let me go."

Katara froze as Zuko stared at her.

"What?" The fire lord asked with the straightest face.

"You.. wait... us? Successor? Do you even know what that means!" She yelled as her face turned red.

"Of course I do," he said with a smirk, "I'm kidding, Tara. They told me I can spend some time with you. We're all happy that you're here."

The two benders exit the room as Zuko lead Katara to all the places he use to play in as a child. She couldn't help, but notice the way his eyes shined as he mentioned the room that him and Iroh played games in. He had pointed out the meeting room where he was first announced prince and quickly told her that he was so nervous that day.

However, she figured that not all his memories would be good and that some were probably equally as bad. Catching the small pinch of pain in his face as he continued to walk around the palace, he had shown her empty rooms that belong to people who would never come back. As the water bender briefly looked inside she could tell that Zuko had the workers keep the room fresh. Maybe he thought that one day they'll come back... or maybe keeping the rooms clean was his way of forgetting they were gone.

"And this," Zuko said as he noticed Katara was no longer paying attention, "Is our room."

"_Our_?" Katara asked hastily.

"Well, where else do you expect the fire _Lord_ and _Lady _tostay?"

Katara had forgotten for a moment why she was even there. Her and Zuko were getting married. Here she was gawking over decors and furniture when she should be preparing herself! As he opened the door, she took a small peek inside.

"I thought the ship room was beautiful..." She whispered as she was even more amazed by the Master Bedroom in front of her.

The room in the ship had minimum décor, but this one had a more elaborate scheme to it. The walls was a deep shade of red as a large portrait of Zuko hung on the wall. Smaller photos were scatter across the room as Katara noticed that all the wood was beautiful craved with elaborate designs. Instead of a red carpet, the floor had maintain it's natural wood and only had another Fire Lily carpet on it. As the water bender continued to look around she noticed that in the corner was a king size bed, much larger than the one on the ship. It had silk covers on it as pillows were thrown on top.

"Do you not do your bed?" She asked as she noticed some of the pillows were on the floor.

"Well, you see, the day we left for the South Pole I was yanked out of the comfort of my own domain and tied up by two lunatic of a General."

The water bender stared at the fire master with growing confusing as he told her not to worry about it. It was just a silly thing that had happened to him. Taking one last look at the room, Zuko took hold of Katara's hand, his finger intertwining with hers as he gave her a small grin. She wasn't quite sure where this relationship was going, but one thing she knew was that it was getting easier by the moment. As she began to get lost in her own thoughts, she forgotten to look at where they were heading and felt a small breeze on her face.

"This," Zuko said as he looked toward the sky, "Is where my mother and me would always go when we felt like having alone time."

"This is such a beautiful place..." Katara said as she stopped.

The land outside was just as beautiful as the inside. The entire opening was filled with flowers as a small koi pond laid in the middle. Everything was simple, but at the same time it felt extravagant.

"When I was younger, I fell right here," Zuko said as he pointed in a spot on the ground, "and my mom picked me up and told me that I wasn't allow to cry or Azula would make fun of me."

"Your mom sounds like a nice lady," Katara said softly.

"She was..."

A long silence passed as Zuko put his hand in the water. Small ripples appeared as the fish swarmed toward his hand. They had hope that he had some food for them, but left disappointed as they realized he didn't. Katara stared at her fiance. She knew how it felt to lose someone important, but she was lucky enough to still have her family.

"Zuko really only had Uncle Iroh..." she thought.

Thinking quick on her feet, the water master lift her hand, a small water bubble appearing out of the pond as Zuko looked inside. A small koi fish swam inside the bubble as the others watched it fly.

"Look, this should be you!"

"Why am I the small one?" Zuko asked slightly offended, "I should be that one! It's bigger and it's feared by all the other fishes."

"This should be you..." Katara whispered, "Because I like this one."

The Fire Bender looked at the girl beside him and quickly averted his eyes. As Katara set the fish onto of the water, her eyes sparkled at how the other fish were trying to join it. She had miss Zuko's movements as he looked at the ground.

"She always gets me feeling not like me..." He thought as his fist slightly tightened.

"I'm sorry fishies, there's only room for one." The young girl said as she moved the koi fish around the pond.

Out of no where, Zuko suddenly grabbed her arm which caused her to drop her focus. The bubble fell and the small koi swam to its friend as the fire bender's lips landed on hers. The two stay still for only mere moments before the kiss progressed into something more than a peck. Both of them were competitive people and nobody wanted to lose. As Zuko deepened the kiss, Katara's arm wrapped around his neck, bringing him closer as she tried to match his dominance with her own. His arms found their way around her waist as he pulled her body closer to his.

"Z..Zuko," Katara said as she tried to pulled away.

The bender only shook his head and kissed her again. He didn't want to let her go. He didn't want to leave this bliss. His mind became clouded with desire as he fought with himself internally. He wanted to push her on the ground and kiss her neck, run his hands over her body as she moaned. However, he knew that he had to slow it down. One step at a time or else he was going to ruin any chance he had.

"Ah Hem..."

The two bender pulled away quickly as they saw General Tai standing outside. He had turned his head to avoid the scene, but felt like he still saw way too much.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Fire Lord Zuko, but the counsel wanted to run some minor details about the wedding with you two before they make any permanent plans."

Katara and Zuko blushed slightly as they regain their composure. Zuko took the lead and resumed his normal 'bad guy' act as Katara simply stood there quietly.

"Proceed," He said as he let out a small cough.

"First, they wanted to know if you wanted the wedding here or... in the south pole."

"Oh, it can be here," Katara replied, "I know it's hard to get use to the cold environment and I would feel terrible if everyone had to suffer. Plus, my family is a lot smaller... so it wouldn't be that much of a hassle to come up here instead."

"Excellent," General Tai responded, "Next, the wedding is going to be in-"

"The wedding will be whenever I say the date is," Zuko quickly replied as he could sense that the counsel had already set a date.

The young men looked at him as he made a small note on paper, "Well then... do you guys want a big wedding or a small one?"

"Big," Zuko responded

"Small," Katara replied.

The two of them looked at one another as they answered at the same time.

"Small," Zuko corrected.

"The counsel believes that a bigger wedding would be better only because it would benefit the nation more to see the harmony between both elements."

"Then big!" Katara said as her nose wrinkled slightly, "If it's better for you than it's fine with me."

"Splendid..."

The General took a small bow before he had quietly remarked to return to whatever they were previously doing. As he took his leave Zuko cleared his throat. He found like the frequent interruptions he faced during his most intimate moments were no longer a coincidence, but what else could they be? Maybe the world was out to simply get him.

"Well," He said as he tried to change the subject, "Do you want to have dinner now?"

"Dinner?" She asked, "Isn't it a little early?"

"Well it's already well into the evening."

"Evening?" The water bender replied surprised, "But it's still bright out!"

"The sun sets differently between seasons," Zuko said, "Right now the days are a little longer, but it should grow dark within the next half hour."

"Oh... it always gets dark quickly in the South Pole," Katara said, "But I guess that's because we live in such a snowy area."

"If you're not hungry than we can go do something else," Zuko said.

"No no, it's fine!" She cried, "Will Uncle Iroh be joining us?"

"He always does," The fire bender responded, "It's one of the few moments we put aside to spend together."

x x x

The rest of the night was fairly quick. After Zuko had ask the servants to prepare dinner, it had only took them a little while to cook it. The sun had set by the time they sat down to eat and the dinner chat consisted of a lot of talking in anticipation for tomorrow. Iroh had asked if Katara wanted to go into town with him and she jumped at the chance to see the village.

"Are you going to come with us tomorrow?" The water bender asked as she directed the question toward Zuko.

"I go every week," he said, "Someone has to stop Uncle Iroh from buying the entire town."

"Nephew, I am only supporting our people by buying their goods."

"You buy too much."

"I buy to little."

"The entire west half of the palace is full of your things, Uncle, " Zuko replied.

"That's because my room is too small, I need the extra room for my nicknacks."

"We have the same size room! If I can keep my belongings in my quarters, I am sure that you can do the same thing."

"But you never do anything to yours, Zuko, Katara may be the first new addition to your room in months."

"And clearly you can see that she is staying _in_ my room, not outside in the hallways and the storage room and the guest room..."

Iroh tried to think of a comeback, but couldn't. Instead, he told Zuko to not hurt Katara during the night and that was soon followed by constant bickering between the two.

"Zuko's room..." Katara thought as she poked at her meat.

The water bender was still a little nervous, but she figured that this was just a small thing. Zuko and her had shared living spaces before when they had traveled together. What could possibly go wrong?

* * *

x x x

Zuko looked at the water bender as she stood in the center of the room. She had looked as though she was a child lost in the center of town. For once she was dress normally and her red appearance was replaced by shades of blue. Her nightgown was a light material that went a little above her knee and her hair was put into a low ponytail. He could tell that her eyes were avoiding the bed as she stood on her feet, spinning around to rid herself of any nerves.

"Tara, are you going to sleep standing up?" He asked mockingly.

"No, I'm just... practicing my balance," She said.

Zuko almost laugh at her attempts to get out of sleeping. She had lucked out on the ship when they both slept at separate times, but this time he was not going to lose. He made sure there was nothing that she could bend in case she had an episode and decided to kill him.

"I don't bite," he said as he mentally thought that the idea of biting her would be a rather nice one.

"I know," the water bender replied, "I just want to stand here for a while. You know, work up a sweat so that I can sleep peacefully tonight!"

"Bull."

Katara stood there with her arms crossed, "That's not very nice."

"You obviously don't want to get into bed with me," he said smirking, "You probably think I'm going to attack you."

"Of course I don't," the water bender responded as she wrinkled her nose.

"You're lying," Zuko said softly.

"How can you tell me that I'm lying?"

"I can just tell."

"_How_?"

"Because you wrinkled your nose," Zuko said, "When you lie you wrinkle your nose and your lips goes up into a tiny pout... just like when you said it was fine with have a big wedding."

Katara looked at the fire bender slightly amazed that he could pick up on such small things. As she was mentally noting to be more careful, she failed to notice an approaching fire bender sneaking up on her. Zuko picked her up bridal style as though she weigh nothing more than a bag of rice.

"What are you doing!" Katara yelled.

"Sleep," he said as he threw her on the bed, "You have a big day tomorrow and being scared of a bed is ridiculous."

Katara turned to face the wall as she felt Zuko's weight go onto the mattress. With a flick of his finger the candles that were previous lit blew out and the pair was left in the dark. Two minute went by, but Katara could have sworn it was a century that had passed. Her and Zuko had shared a room during their travels with Aang, but now they were sharing a bed as an engage couple. She tossed and turned.

"Katara," Zuko said, "Not all of us is born pretty. I need... what do you girls call it? Beauty sleep."

The water bender had stopped moving after hearing Zuko's voice. She was always over reacting as Zuko played it cool. She hated that. After a while, she tried to listen to see if Zuko had fallen asleep, but heard nothing. Turning around to face him, she saw that his eyes were still open.

"Were you awake this entire time?"

"Yup, it's hard to sleep when someone's tense vibes pollutes the air."

"Sorry..." The water bender said closing her eyes.

She had a quick thought of pretending to sleep and that maybe her actions would cause Zuko to sleep himself. A long while passed and she had tried to fool the Fire Lord, but failed rather miserably.

"Katara, what's wrong?"

"I don't know I'm just.. over reacting."

"About?"

"Don't you feel the little bit weird?"

"Why would I need to feel weird?" Zuko asked

"Because we're in the same bed!"

"So?"

"So?" She asked back, "how can you not feel weird or scared or nervous?"

"Because," He said, "I have no need too. I'm sleeping in my room next to a girl I'm suppose to be marrying. Next to someone I _like_."

Katara looked at him. There was that word again; like.

"How are you even sure?"

"Sure? I'm not psychic, Katara, I need you to talk in complete sentence." The Fire Lord responded.

"How can you say that word so calmly, like? How do you know that you like me?" The water bender asked quietly.

"What kind of question is that?"

"Well think about it, if we weren't force into this marriage, we may just be friends still... maybe you think you like me because you need to like me or else we're going to be lonely and unhappy forever!"

"Katara," Zuko said.

"And really you never know! Maybe if it wasn't me, but some other girl, you would say 'I like you' to her too."

"Tara," He growled.

"I keep trying to ignore it when you say you like me, but it's getting hard when you say it frequently now. I know you want to show the counsel that we get along and make a good impression on the people, but-"

Zuko had gotten on top of Katara, her sentence stopped mid way as his eyes glared at her with a shine so strong they looked like orbs of flames.

"Stop," He commanded, "Don't ever say that I like you only because we were put together by our elders."

"But... we were only friends a few days ago..."

"Katara, I've thought about it for a long time now. Every time I'm alone I thought about it. Every time I did something stupid these pass few days I thought about it. How did I feel about you when we were younger teens? What were my true emotions?"

The fire bender looked at his fiance as his body remained on hers. He had his arms set on both side of her head as he tried to lessen the pressure on her body. She could feel her heart stop as Zuko hovered over her.

"I kept thinking that I wanted to protect you because we were friends. We only had times to think we were friends, Tara! Yet, would I risk my life to save a friend. Maybe, if they were a long long LONG time friend. But we only knew each other for less than a year. Remember our final battle together? Between me, you, and my sister?"

"You mean when you saved me from Azula's attack..." She whispered.

"When I saw her aim at you instead my heart nearly stopped. I didn't want her to hurt you. I had never, ever, tried to redirect lightning before. Uncle Iroh had only taught me the movements, but I was so... happy when I saw that you were okay. I don't know how else I can say it, Katara. I don't know what else I have to do to prove to you that Im not acting on a silly engagement. I really want you to fall in love with me for me- for us."

"Zuko.. what are you trying to say...?"

"I'm saying I like you, Katara! I could even love you already, I don't know. What I do know though is that whenever we're alone I want to kiss you. Whenever we're together I want to protect you. I always wanted to protect you! This may not be a few days of feeling, but 6 years of feelings... so, don't you feel anything at all for me...?"

Katara looked at the fire lord, shock on her face as she turned away. She closed her eyes, thinking long and hard. Exactly what did she feel for Zuko? She had spend the entire time they had thinking about this stupid marriage and this stupid arrangement that she had forgotten every minute they had before then. She admit that during the 4 years they were away, she looked forward to his letter. She got exited whenever she got his mail and wrote back right away when she was done reading it. She knew how angry she felt when she had heard he had a new maid and how lonely she felt when he didn't respond for weeks. Yet, isn't that what all friends felt like?

When she thought about all the people she knew before, she thought about how they were together. Aang had always liked her, but she never felt anything, but motherly love back. She didn't think about Haru or get mad at him for looking at other girls when they hung out together. She only ever felt something for one guy and that was Jet, but the adoration for him disappeared when he turned out to be an evil douche bag. Then there was Zuko and their relationship was never really clear. She was always fine sleeping next to Aang, but she didn't want to sleep next to Zuko. She didn't want him to see her morning face and couldn't risk the chance of hugging him in her sleep. She always avoided looking at him when he took his shirt off or trained, but she always thought that that was due to the fact that Zuko was manlier than Aang and Sokka, it felt almost dirty to stare. However, why would it provoke her? Why did she always blush whenever someone made fun of her and Zuko?

The water bender opened her eyes slowly and saw that Zuko was still staring at her, his eyes a little more softer than it was before. He was waiting for a respond. He didn't want to run away anymore.

"I Like you, Zuko, I may even love you"

The Fire Bender had looked at her, shock running through his eyes as they widened at her comment. She what?

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves there Katara..." he said softly, "you didn't even believe me when I said it."

"No, I really do..." She said, "I thought that I was just missing the thrill and adventure that came with saving the world. I thought that the pass four years I felt incomplete because I wasn't doing anything with my life, but as I kept teaching benders and kept meeting new people no one sparked my interest!" She said, " When I got your first letter in the mail 3 years ago, my heart stopped. I thought I was excited because I got to speak with an old friend, but the more I think about it the more I know that I just missed you. I thought you were the same cocky Fire Prince, but I can tell you changed. We're not both little kids anymore, we're adults..." she whispered.

"But what would that have to do with falling in love with me?" The fire bender inquired as he desperately tried to get to the bottom of her feelings.

"I'm saying that I was happy, Zuko. I was happy when you wrote to me because I thought you were thinking of me. When you didn't write back quickly I would get anxious and upset. When we were younger I would be so nervous around you,"

"You always left me" He commented, "When the roof of the air temple almost fell on you I pushed you out of the way, but you only yelled at me and ran away."

"Because I was 16 and my life was thrown upside down!" Katara screamed, "but my heart probably always knew... and just wouldn't allow me to love someone who was never going to stay with me. Yet, here we are, together, as though it was fate."

"Then why don't we start acting like adults," Zuko whispered as his voice went quiet.

His lips fell onto hers as the two of them kissed. This time there was going to be no distractions. Katara could feel Zuko's body slightly touch hers as he moved his arms down to the bed. The kiss they had was soft, but it was full of feelings and emotions. Taking a moment to breathe, Katara turned her head. Zuko took the chance and kissed her neck, a small breathe escaping from her mouth as she could feel his lips on her skin. He continued to kiss along the side of her neck as he could hear a soft moan come out. He wanted more, much more than this. His right hand traveled down her body as it stopped on her chest. Feeling the cotton material under his skin he gave a small squeeze on the softest pair of mounds he had ever felt.

"Z-Zuko..." Katara moaned as she shut her eyes.

The fire bender could feel himself getting hard and as much as he tried to fight it, it wouldn't stop. He crashed his lips onto hers again as his hand slid inside the top of her nightgown. His finger slid across her nipple, pulling at it until was hard. He could hear Katara moan inside his mouth and took the moment to slid his tongue in, the both of them exchanging spit as he pulled away. His breathing was rough as he could see Katara eyes reopen. The both of them stared at one another.

"How far do you want to go tonight..." Zuko said softly.

He had to ask her or else he wouldn't be able to stop later on. His body was slightly lifted so she wouldn't feel his member on her skin. Katara was confused. She didn't know how far she wanted to go. She knew that she wanted to do something, but maybe right now wasn't the right time. Seeing the hint of confusion in her eyes Zuko rolled off of her.

"Let's get married next month," He said softly as he tried to change the moment.

Katara looked a little surprise. A month wasn't a long time, but then again who knew when the counsel wanted them to get married.

"On the 15th."

The date was pretty specific as she thought for a moment, "On your birthday?"

"Yeah," He said smiling at the fact that she had remembered.

"Are you sure you want to ruin your special day?" The water bender said with curiosity in her tone.

"Katara, I am certain that I can make you fall in love with me within a couple of weeks," He responded, "Not because I'm a cocky fire bender, but because I want to fall in love with you too. I'm putting my entire being into us and I want you to do the same thing. My birthday had always been a curse to me, born into a family that I didn't love. Uncle Iroh was the only thing that made me glad I was royalty when my mother had left. If we got married on that day, our marriage will make that moment special."

The water bender smiled as she leaned in to kiss her fiance. Her kiss was soft, but it slowly progressed into something more. She had put more pressure on it as she stole his lips, her breast pushing against his shirt as he could feel her nipples through the thin, cotton fabric. After all the work he did to calm himself, he could feel his desire lighting up again. Shutting his eyes harder, he pushed her off, and hugged her.

"Sleep," He said in a husk voice, "Or else you're going to be the death of me."

It wasn't long until he could feel the water bender's light breathing on his arms. She had fallen asleep rather quickly and must have been tiered. Zuko sigh. He wanted to kick himself for letting such an opportunity go away, but at the same time he was excited. If he waits for just a month than he knew that there wouldn't be any regrets.

"Her breast were soft," He thought as he recalled his big they felt in the palm of his hand.

The fire lord groaned, "Maybe I should have just ran with it,"

But he could tell the inexperience that flown out of Katara as he touched her.

"Maybe she's a virgin," He thought as he knew that he wanted to make her first time amazing.

Looking down at the girl beside him he really did wonder where this would all go. Everything was changing and for once he was fine with it.

"June 15," He said softly, "I Do..."

* * *

**Author's Note: **I realized as the story goes more into the plot, the chapters are going to be longer which makes it a little harder to update once a day. Having said this, I can't promise that they'll be up within 24 hours, but I'll try my best to have them within a 3 day period. Sometimes it may be up in a day or maybe it'll be up in 2. I always have my next chapters written out, but I take a few extra hours to go back and add to them.

Thank you for all the reviews that you left! I read all of them and try to take all of your thoughts into consideration. For the moment I'm not going to post snipets of the next chapters because it was split in the middle between the mystery of the next moves and the curiosity of our own minds.

Until then Review and Enjoy. Thank you lovelies!


	9. Winning Over The crowd

**Chapter 9: Winning over the crowd.  
**

**Author's Note:** So I've been having a rough day today and decided to just take a breather and write... but really I am just feeling horrible and I'm not sure what that will do to my writing, so I apologize in advance to you guys. It's just been "one of those days."

oh and toward the zuzu comments, I know Iroh doesn't call Zuko zuzu, however, I feel like his personality is open enough so that I can get away with it every now and then. If you guys hate it though I'll change it. For me it feels repetitive to also see "Zuko zuko zuko..." and there's no way to get around using terms other than fire lord, fire bender, ect. If you have any idea please tell me!

**Disclaimer: **I Do not own any of these characters! Just the ones I make up.

* * *

Zuko woke up suddenly as he looked around his room. It didn't seem like much time had passed since he had fallen asleep and as he stared beside him, he could see the small figure of his water bender next to him. His eyes slowly began to adjust to the darkness and he could hear Katara's heavy breathing echo throughout the room. The Fire Lord slipped out of his bed and made sure he was absolutely quiet. He didn't want to wake Katara up after all the trouble it took to get her to sleep.

As he threw on a red robe, he opened his door and closed it behind him. Making his way down the long hall, he took a right and then a left. His eyes drifted briefly to the windows in the hallway as he noted that the moon was still high in the sky. As his feet began to drag on, his mind began to race around him. What exactly was he doing out in the middle of the night? He felt silly walking around with nothing, but his pajamas on. If someone had caught him, they would question what the fire lord was doing and the news would spread throughout the entire castle by morning. Coming to a sudden stop, his body stood in front of two big, brown doors. He could see the fire light up the room from the glow that came behind the wood.

"Who is it?" A voice spoke called out suddenly.

"It's me, Uncle."

Zuko knew that his uncle slept rather late and that it was probably due to the naps he took during the day after his tea. As the door opened up, he saw his Uncle in his night robe, his armor off and set aside for the day coming up. Iroh would always know when Zuko was near him, in fact, he always knew when anyone was near him. It didn't surprise the fire lord when he didn't have to even knock, Iroh had always had a 6th sense for these type of things. It must have been from all the battles he went through in his younger years.

"Zuko, it's late, what are you doing up?"

"I just came to visit," The fire bender responded as he looked toward the ground.

Iroh had grown up next to Zuko. When his nephew was banished from the Fire Nation, he took no time to pack his own belonging to go along. He was more of a father than his own blood and obviously knew when something was wrong.

"Come in."

Zuko took a few steps inside. It had been a while since he went into the elder's room and it still looked the same as before. Much like Zuko's room, there was a bed in the corner and a carpet in the center. Tables and boxes of items and souvenirs laid around the room as they showcased the places and people that the general had seen. On the wall was a big painting of him and his real son while beside it was a was a portrait of Zuko and himself. He always felt honored that his Uncle cared so deeply about him and therefore developed a close bond to the old man.

"What's bothering you, Nephew?" The fire bender asked as he motioned Zuko to take a seat beside him.

"Me and Katara decided to get married on June 15th," He said softly.

"That's great!" his Uncle replied, "That's a wonderful way to celebrate ones birthday... and much more reasonable. The counsel wanted to do it next week."

"Go figure they wanted to push everything all at once," The fire lord thought as he looked at the paintings on the walls.

Zuko had always been good at hiding his emotions. He didn't want anyone to know his weaknesses because those things can be used against him at any time. However, when alone with his Uncle, a part of that wall broke down.

"Uncle, I don't know about this."

"About what?"

"The whole marriage thing..." He mumbled.

"Zuko, we already brought her so far from home. It would be horrible to send her back _especially_ when she has started to develop feelings of her own."

"I know I can love Katara, but how can I ask her to love me back?"

"You don't have to," Iroh replied, "You don't ask people to give love back, love is given by choice."

"And what if she doesn't chose me?"

"It's unlike you to doubt yourself, Zuko, especially when you have done so much already."

The fire bender looked at his Uncle, "She told me she liked me, Uncle."

"Than what is the problem?" The elder responded slightly confused.

"What if its a lie.."

Iroh looked at Zuko with a shock expression, "Don't you think you should give Katara a little more credit? It may have been a while since I saw her last, but I believe that she is still the same at heart. Even as a teenager she was very expressive toward you."

Zuko slightly smiled as he remembered what the fire master was hinting toward. Katara use to hate him and it wasn't just a small hint of hate either. She was always yelling at him in the group and never took a moment to notice he was trying his best. He could train shirtless and she would go on feeding that huge Air Bison and never once would she take another look.

"I know she is truthful," the fire bender said, "But maybe I just pushed her into her feelings."

"You can't push someone to feel something that they don't, Nephew. When I lost my son a lot of people tried to push me into a happier place, but what I felt was what I felt. It took me a long time to accept it, but eventually when you came along it became easier. If Lady Katara said she likes you than she likes you because she sees the effort you are putting into winning her over. No one came to her and said to love you. No one pushed her onto the ship. It was your friendship and your actions that made her say, 'I like you.'"

"But what am I doing, Uncle..." The fire bender asked softly, "A week ago I could have cared less as to whether or not a female liked me. I never took a look at any village girls and I wanted the concubines in the palace to be fired upon talking to me."

"What you're doing, Zuko" His uncle commented, "is falling in love."

"I thought I did that with Mai, but this feels different."

"Oh no," The elder replied, "I believe Mai was simply someone who gave you a new experience. A feeling that you never had before. Maybe _you_ loved her, but in the end it didn't work out because it wasn't meant to. The love you two shone was never mutual and if it was it was never at the same time. When you loved her she was merely fond of you in vise versa. You two were never compatible! In fact, I rooted for you and Katara since the day you became Aang's fire teacher."

"Uncle, Mai was a... she was... I really!"

Zuko took a moment and quiet down. He really did thought he liked Mai, but as time passed by the two of them spend less and less time together. He was okay with not seeing her and she didn't really seem to mind that he wasn't there either. It was like something was missing, but he never found it with her. It was only natural to break up.

"I don't even know if she'll like the real me. She's like water, calm and carefree, but I'm just fire; hot and ill tempered. We're the spitting image of our bending... how can something so opposite come together?"

The elder bender could see the worry that passed through his nephew's face. It was always rare for Zuko to come and talk to him and the last time they had done so was when he decided to end things with Mai. A part of him was happy that the fire lord trusted him so much, but another part of him was disappointed that Zuko could not see the good in himself. Taking a small lotus chip he handed it to the young boy.

"Do you remember this, Zuko?"

"It's a lotus piece," he answered bluntly.

"Yes, but this is the chip you threw out when we had that grave encounter with the pirates long ago," Iroh said.

Zuko fingered the tiny object in his hand. He had remember that day rather clearly. The entire ship had to stop in a nearby town so that his uncle could buy another lotus piece, however, to his luck the avatar was also in the same village. He wanted to end his travel and capture the boy and therefore made a deal with Pirates in order to get help. Yet, when the trip went down hill and the pirates took off with his own ship, fire and rage ran through his veins as he wanted to burn someone to mere ashes. It wasn't until Iroh had pull the chip out of his sleeve that he had snapped.

"I Thought I threw this in the ocean," Zuko mumbled.

"Well, I had someone go fish it out, but that is beside the point... this chip is very important to me because it completes my lotus board. I've grown old with this chip and every game I've won had this piece on the field. Whenever General Tai wants to play a match I go into my room and get this piece because it's my good luck charm. This is my secret weapon."

"Sorry I threw it..." The fire bender whispered as he realized the importance a tiny object had.

"I've seen you grow up, Zuko. You have always been a tough boy, but I believe me and your mother knew that you were kind at heart. You can show Katara that side or you can chose to hide it, but no matter what you chose, as long as you listen to your heart, you will show her the real you. _That_ is your secret weapon. The sooner you show her, the more power it'll give to you."

Zuko stay silent for a long time. He didn't really know what to say. He had ran a country for four years and was about to turn 21, but next to Iroh he would always be a little kid. Giving his nephew a small pat on the back, Iroh gave him a small grin.

"Thanks Uncle..." The Fire Lord said as he nodded his head.

Zuko left the room a couple of minutes later. Not a lot of time had pass since he left, but he felt like he was gone for an eternity. He didn't want Katara to wake up with him missing because she was in a new environment, but he also didn't want to make too much noise getting his time to walk quietly, he opened the door to his bedroom. He looked around to see if anything was different and heard the soft breathing that came from his fiance.

His feet moved toward the bed as he looked down toward the girl under the covers. Her low ponytail had came undone and her soft locks fanned out around her. Slowly, he slipped back under the covers, the mattress moving slightly as he got back in. The water bender had stirred a little, but went straight back to sleep, her hands next to her chin as she let out a soft sigh.

"mmm... Zuko..."

The Fire bender looked at the water master with slight surprise as his name escaped her lips. Was she having a dream about him or was she simply telling him to go to sleep? He couldn't push the small ping that ran through his heart as his hand fell against his head.

"Just a couple of days and you're making me act like a hormonal teenager..." he said softly.

He leaned down, his breathe brushing against Katara's tan skin. Zuko's golden eyes caught the shine of the bridan necklace as he grinned. He pushed his lips against hers softly.

"Water tribe tradition..." he said quietly as he laid back down to fall asleep.

It took him mere moments to slip into slumber, but as he fell into a world of dreams his mind slowly poked at him, thoughts running through his brain as he tried to relax. Water tribe tradition stated that the man must present his lady with a necklace, but in the Fire Nation, they had a tradition of their own. A lady is only taken when her hand has a stone on their ring finger...

* * *

Katara woke up in the morning, the faint sounds of birds ringing through the air. She slowly nuzzled her head against her pillow as she let out a small yawn. Snuggling under the blanket, she could smell the faint scent of cinnamon around her. Opening her eyes slowly, she had a small heart attack as she saw Zuko staring back at her, the pillow she was hugging before quickly became his chest.

"AH!" The water bender yelled as she moved her hand in a quick motion.

She had waited for a water whip to fly out of the sky, but nothing ever came. Looking confused and shocked she stared at the grumpy man in front of her.

"And that is why... I now keep nothing watery inside my room..." Zuko said as he rubbed his ears.

"I'm sorry, Zuko, I guess I forgot where I was... did I wake you up...?" She asked slightly guilty.

"No, I woke up a while ago, but someone was holding onto me so I couldn't really leave the room," He answered nonchalantly, "Although I never been someones arm pillow before."

He gave her a small smirk as she turned a deep shade of red. He admit that he wanted her to see his sweet side, but he couldn't help the small teasing moments that came out naturally around her.

"Is this why you never wanted to sleep next to me when we were teenagers?" The fire lord mocked.

It was way to early for Katara to be dealing with this. As she let out a small huff, she pushed the Fire bender off the bed, her arms crossed as she said, "NO! I didn't want to sleep next to you because you smelled like burnt wood!"

"Liar, your nose wrinkled."

"URG! Shut up!"

Uncle Iroh was currently walking pass the room as he could hear the screams from behind the close door. Letting out a small smile, he ordered a nearby servant to get breakfast ready as he walked outside for fresh air, "Love is a beautiful thing."

x x x

Katara and Zuko took a seat at the table. A maid had came to get Katara ready for the day and as she kicked Zuko out, she mentioned that Iroh had already had food prepare for their morning. Today was an important day because they were going into town and everyone made sure Katara looked the part of fire lady. As Zuko wore his regular ensemble, Katara dressed in a similar, yet more feminine version. They wanted the two benders to look like an adorable couple and therefore got the idea to coordinate their outfits.

Instead of the loose robe that men general wore, hers was more form fitting and sliming. It was red with gold lining as the bottom danced with the image of butterflies and flowers. Her waist had a black sash tied around it to create an hour glass figure and her hair was put up in a messy bun, curls and waves framing her face as the flower piece Zuko had given her laid on top. She wasn't allow to wear a crown until the wedding, but she could still look like a queen. Her lips were painted red as a small hint of blush highlighted her cheek bones. Due to the dramatic effect the lips took on, her eyes were a more subtle aspect and were simply pink with black eye-lining.

"Good morning Zuko, Katara," Uncle Iroh said as he stepped into the room. Following behind him was Haru and General Tai.

"Good Morning, Uncle Iroh, General Tai and Haru," The water bender replied softly.

Zuko gave the group a small nod as he offered the two men a seat at the table. Taking the invitation, the servants brought out plates of fruits and meat buns as they poured warm tea into their cups.

"Lady Katara, you look wonderful today," General Tai said as he stared at the girl in front of him.

"Thank you," She replied.

"You sure do look beautiful in red for someone whose originally a water bender!" Haru commented.

Zuko had an angry look on his face as he glared at Haru.

"Thanks, I was worried that red wouldn't look good.. but it's starting to grow on me."

"Nonsense, with your hair and eye color, anything would look good on you!"

The Fire Lord slammed his fork down as he cleared his throat. The entire table stopped for a moment as Haru looked as though he had killed a puppy on the street.

"General Tai... Will you be joining us today in town?" Zuko said slowly as he tried to change the atmosphere.

"I apologize that I cannot. The counsel is having me run some errands for them, but if you like Haru may go with you three."

"That will not be needed." The fire bender immediately responded.

"Nonsense, nephew, the more the merrier!" Iroh said joyfully.

"Too much people will only cause a distraction," Zuko stated.

"It may be good to have some sort of protection there," General Tai commented.

"I am all the protection we need."

Zuko was very persistent in not letting Haru come, but Katara could see the sad look in his eyes as he poked at his food.

"Zuko," she said softly, "I think it would be nice to let Haru join us... he won't have anything else to do anyways."

The Fire Lord looked at his fiance and his expression went from annoyed to blank, "Fine."

Haru let out a small thank you as he ran off to get changed. As soon as he was out of ear shot, Zuko stated at his General.

"Who hired him?"

"It was a request from one of the counsel member..." General Tai said quietly.

Zuko was a hot head, but he knew better than to defy the elders. Letting out a small sigh he was growing overly annoyed of Haru's carefree appearance. Not only was he over complimenting Katara, but he was ignoring all the glares that was being shot to him. Maybe Zuko was losing his touch, or perhaps the young boy had a death wish.

Taking a last bite of food, The fire bender got up.

"I have to meet with the counsel for a moment," Zuko said while sighing, "When I come back we can go into town."

"What matters do you have with the elders?" Iroh asked curiously.

"I'm going to tell them the date we had set for the wedding. I believe that if I don't give them a day soon they will go ahead with their own plans."

As he walked away Katara smiled a little. She had remember what they said yesterday night and was now poking at her own food. She was distracted as Iroh and General Tai engaged in a friendly conversation. A while had passed and food slowly disappeared from the table. Zuko was taking longer than anticipated and the old men were growing tiered of small chat.

"Katara, I'm going to get the carriage ready," Iroh said while getting up, "Please excuse me General Tai."

As he left the room, the water bender sat alone with the General. She could feel a pair of eyes looking at her, but didn't want to look up.

"You do look beautiful today, Lady Katara."

"Thank you, General Tai." The water bender responded.

"Almost like a butterfly yourself."

"I think they are a much more beautiful creature than myself... sir."

Katara was trying hard to sound proper while still avoiding the awkward conversation between her and the older male. She didn't really have any one on one time with General Tai, but never thought she ever would.

"I must ask, Lady Katara... How does one do it?"

"Do what?" She responded quietly.

"Captivate others with your beauty as well as you do."

Katara looked up toward the General and for the first time she had seen that he was looking at her. For a moment she could have sworn that he was flirting with her, but kicked the thought out of her mind when she realized that he was a General and could have been around her father's age.

"You flatter me, General and I'm sure _My fiance_ would agree that you are too kind with your words."

Before the conversation went on any further Zuko had walked back into the room. The strong atmosphere that was there before disappeared as General Tai stood up and said a quick goodbye to the Fire lord. It appeared that he was trying to get away from Zuko before any awkward matters came up.

"Katara? What's wrong?" the fire bender asked as he noticed the look of confusion on her face.

"It's nothing," she said softly, "just my imagination..."

As the two bender left the room to head outside, they could hear Haru screaming down the hall to 'wait up.' As the sounds of their footsteps grew further away, General Tai walked back into the room, his kind face now angry and distorted. He walked over to the place that Katara sat in and for a while had simply looked at it. Quickly and swiftly, he threw her plate onto the floor and stepped on it, glass breaking as the pieces stay on the red carpet.

"_Just like a butterfly..._ _That I'll slowly crush until it can't fly."_

* * *

x x x

Katara looked out the window as they head down to town. Haru and Uncle Iroh was talking about artifacts as Zuko remained quiet. She could see forest run on for miles and was speechless toward the natural scenery around her. The fire nation was different from the South Pole, but both were beautiful in its own way. As she could see people in the distance, she took a breathe in. She felt Zuko's hand on hers as he gave her a small grin.

"I'm going to find new treasures!" Iroh said smiling.

"You really like collecting things don't you, General?" Haru asked

"It's my greatest hobby."

As they came closer into town, there were small cries and cheers. Everyone had taken notice of the royal carriage and who wouldn't? The carriage hung a huge fire nation flag on the top of it and was made out of the finest wood known to man. Not many people can afford to have vehicles, but the ones that did made sure it screamed money.

"The Fire Lord is here! The Fire Lord is here!"

Zuko gave them a small wave as he went back to his usual, royal demeanor.

"You don't have to be so stiff," Katara whispered as she looked outside.

"It's part of the job description, Tara. If I don't appear tough than the people will walk all over the royal family."

The carriage had stopped somewhere in town and everyone got out. Iroh stepped out first followed by Haru as Zuko jumped onto the ground. He had turned around slightly and held his hand out for Katara as she made sure that she didn't step on the bottom of her robe. People began to gather around the group as many of them came baring small gifts.

"Hi Fire Lord Zuko!"

"Hello."

"You look wonderful today!"

"Thank you."

The water bender almost laughed at the answer Zuko gave them. He wasn't engaging or adding anything, but the villagers were eating every moment of it. She had looked at the fire bender and he stood tall and straight as he generously denied any of the gifts.

"Thank you so much for your consideration, but I rather you keep this trinket for yourself. Your loyalty and kindness is more than enough for me."

Katara looked around and saw that she was really the only person who was standing still. Zuko was having small conversations with village men as she backed away from them. Feeling out of place, she tried to find Uncle Iroh, but noticed that him and Haru had went into a small store.

"This just came in today, General." The shop keeper said showing the elder a small statue of a bird.

"OH! How beautiful! How much is this trinket?"

"5 gold coins!"

"Haru! Carry this to the carriage for me!"

"Everyone's busy," Katara said softly.

She didn't want to appear strange, so she walked down the street. Looking at all the stands, street venders engaged her as she appeared to be a wealthy young lady. Many of them had recognized her from the first day she arrived and came to say hello, but after giving them a small smile they proceeded on to saying hello to the Fire Lord.

As the water bender walked pass a small stand, she could see a variety of bracelets and rings laid on the table. Taking a small look at a couple of them, one in particular had caught her eyes. It was a decent looking bracelet that was made to fit a regal man. As the bangle was made out of red ruby, the entire thing was mashed together with sapphires.

"This looks like me and Zuko," She thought quietly as she touched the stone.

A small lady walked out to great her as she noticed that she was the soon to be Fire Lady. Taking a look at what had caught her eye she had made Katara a small bargain and said that it would only cost her 5 gold coins.

"Is this real rubies and sapphire?"

"Why yes, my husband made it himself a long time ago. It took me a while to get up the courage to sell it because I am quite fond of it myself, however, if it was to go to you and the Fire Lord... I believe my heart can rest soundly."

Katara had a little money on her that she took before leaving the South Pole. As she pulled out her purse she handed the woman 8 gold coins for her generosity and honesty. She walked away with a smile on her face as she held the bracelet in her hand. She wasn't sure if Zuko wore these kind of things, but she knew that she wanted to give him something back for all the gifts he gave her.

"Hello there Miss," A voice said suddenly.

The water bender turned around to see two young men in front of her. They didn't appeared dangerous so she let her guard fall down. As she stared at the two gentlemen, she note that one of them looked like Zuko, only the younger version of him. They were both dressed in common clothing as both of them had smiles on their face.

"Hello there, what are your names?"

"My name is Jin and this is Jay."

"Are you two brothers?" Katara asked as she noticed the similarities.

"We're best friends, but we grew up together..."

The three stood for a while and chat. Jin had the same physique as the fire bender, but his hair was short and brown. He seemed to fade into the darkness next to his friend whose personality was much more open and big.

"No, no I'm only 19," The water bender answered while smiling.

"Really? You were so beautiful that I thought you were older, but then again it must be because you're simply just gorgeous," Jay said smiling.

"Me and Jay are the same age as you," Jin added, "Maybe we can be friends if you get tiered of being Fire Lady!"

"I don't think that I'll ever get tiered of all the new things that comes up, but I would certainly love to have new friends," she replied.

Zuko had noticed for a while that Katara went off on her own. He didn't want to follow her, but at the same time he didn't want to leave her alone in the Fire Nation either. As he looked down the street he could see the three of them chatting on the side. Not wanting to ruin Katara's fun, he took a step back and decided to stay near Uncle Iroh. Debating whether or not he wanted Haru to go over he took a quick look at the guard and realized that bringing him into the mix would only create more difficulties for him later on.

"We know a really good meat bun place," Jay said, "Do you want to go get one?"

"I'm not suppose to stray too far from the group..."

"It's only down the street," Jin commented.

"Zuko would kill me..." Katara thought, "but then again these are his people..."

Nodding softly she gave the two a smile and started to walk down the street with them. Zuko had saw them move and quickly walked toward her, his arm catching hers as she came to a sudden stop.

"F-f-fire lord Zuko," Jin said while giving him a bow.

"We were only bringing your lovely fiance to grab a bite to eat," Jay added quickly.

"We're about to go to another area, so she must decline for today," The fire lord replied calmly.

Katara could feel the small pressure that he put on her arm. As she stared at the two teen and then back at the fire bender, she could see the hint of danger that flashed in his golden, red orbs.

"It's only down the street, Zuko," she said softly.

"We're leaving. Iroh had brought almost everything in this area already. He wants to go into the clothing district now."

"Then... I guess I must decline," Katara said with a small apologetic bow.

The two boys looked a little detached, but Zuko had given them each a few gold coins, "Please do not let our leave ruin your fun, perhaps we can take a rain check."

The two gave their leader a smile as they ran away.

"Sometimes the villagers just need a little money," Zuko said softly, "And their happiness returns back."

Katara took another look at the direction they had ran in and then back to the fire lord. Somehow she had realized that it must have happened a lot and that friendship was probably an iffy topic to Zuko. Walking around, she couldn't help, but feel a tad small.

"Give me your hand," he spoke softly as he held his right arm out.

The water bender grabbed the huge hand before her as the two intertwined their fingers together. She felt a little embarrassed, but brushed it off as she noticed that Zuko returned to his friendly attitude, the one he shown her when they were alone.

"Better?" He asked as he noticed that Katara's face had soften a little.

"You are really wonderful..."

"I try," He answered coyly.

"Zuko! Look at that beautiful robe!" Iroh yelled as he ran into a store.

"Uncle, you have about 6 of those already!"

"But this one is green! It reminds me of our days in the earth kingdom," the old man replied as he talked to the owner.

The fire lord let out a loud sigh when the two benders heard a tiny cry.

"Owwww, MOMMY!"

Katara turned to see a little boy about to cry and she instinctively picked him up in her arms. Spinning him around, she could hear his small groans turn into loud laughs. People had gathered around to see the commotion when they saw the fire bender. All eyes were on him until they noticed that he was looking somewhere else- or more like toward someone else.

"Don't cry!" Katara yelled as she smiled at the boy.

She had stopped spinning him as she dusk off his clothing, "Boys shouldn't cry or else they'll get picked on... but in case they do because it really hurts, I'll preform some magic on you to make the pain go away."

The water bender told the boy to close his eyes and she swung her arm in the air. The moist surrounding they were in allow her to take a small amount of water out of the sky to bend.

"Keep your eyes close, but tell me what is your favorite thing in the world!"

"I love cake!" The boy shouted as he kept his hands on his eyes.

Quickly, Katara moved her fingers, the crowd 'ouing' as they saw the small ball of water take the shape of a dessert.

"Open your eyes now."

The little boy moved his hands as he saw the water cake in front of him. Katara had bended a birthday cake with a little help of her own imagination and had caught the heart of not only the little boy in front of her, but Zuko's.

"Now think really hard of a wish and blow out the candle, okay?"

"but it's not my birthday!"

"You don't need to wait for your birthday to wish for something. We'll call this a special day because today is the day you smile after falling down," The water master commented sweetly.

As the boy closed his eyes, he let out a big, long breathe. Letting go of the tension in her hands, the cake disappeared as Katara's arm fell.

"Yay! You did it!"

The entire crowd clapped as though it was the most amazing thing they had ever seen. As Katara looked up, she had noticed the crowd that suddenly grew. Standing up, she saw Zuko looking at her, his smile bright as he mouthed out, "Good Job."

As the crowd rushed in toward the water bender, Haru tried his best to stop them from getting too close, but fail. Iroh stepped in swiftly and made sure that his future niece would not get hurt.

"That was amazing, Miss!"

"Please do something else!"

"I didn't know water benders could do something like that!"

"No, no! We can do a lot of things," Katara said quickly as she tried to gain composure from all the comments being thrown at her.

She had entertained the town's people with more bending as they awed over her abilities. They must have been use to seeing no one else, but fire benders, that a new element was surprising to them. She had to admit that she had felt the same way as they did before. When she first saw Aang bend air, she was amazed and when Toph created her sleeping tent for the first time, she was speechless. Even Zuko's first training session with the Avatar left her astonished. Fire was much like water because they were both unpredictable and depended much on the flow of the bender itself. As the water master smiled over the excitement everyone had, she had miss Zuko take a step back.

"That girl was amazing!" A shopper keeper said to Zuko, "Isn't she the next Fire Lady, My lord?"

"Yeah," He replied, "She's going to be my wife."

Zuko walked up to the water bender as she was dazzled by the Villagers. Without thinking, he pulled her into a hug and pressed his lips against hers. Everyone looked as though a miracle had happened and many had turned their heads in respect. As he pulled away, he could see the shock look that fell on Katara's eyes.

"ZUKO!" She yelled embarrassed.

"Everyone, I hope you come to our wedding next month on the 15th where this wonderful, beautiful lady will become my bride!"

The entire town clapped as Iroh and Haru exchanged looks. The day came to a quick end after that moment. The villagers were beginning to fall in love with the water bender and the oncoming news was making the fire counsel more than happy. It was almost dark when the four decided to return back to the castle and Uncle Iroh had manage to keep his shopping to two oxes instead of the regular four.

x x x

"The arrangement is going as plan," General Tai said as he stood in front of the entire Fire Counsel, "The fire lord should be returning soon with General Iroh and Lady Katara. I had heard from the town that her appearance had only raised the royal family's name higher."

"As expected of the girl who helped save the world."

"It was a good choice to use her," another counsel men said.

"Make sure nothing interferes with our couple, General Tai."

As the General turn to leave, he took a bow and nodded his head. As he walked down the hall toward the courtyard, he could see Zuko and Katara get off the carriage, their lips smiling as they prepared to eat dinner for the night.

"They look happy," He mumbled, "How _sickening_..."

* * *

**Author's Note:** I hope you guys liked it because I was really having a bad day. x_x However, I'm already starting to write the next chapter and this time, some familiar faces are going to show up! Until then please review and continue reading. Thanks love !


	10. Old Friends and New Feelings

**Chapter 10: Old Friends and New Feelings  
**

**Author's Note: **Ello' loves! I'm done with work for a week and do not return until thursday. I was having a bad day when I wrote the last chapter... but hopefully since I'm in a better mood this one will be more enjoyable to write.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of these characters, just the ones I make up to help my story.

* * *

A few days had passed since Katara been in the Fire Nation. Getting ready every morning was becoming easier and she was beginning to like getting dolled up for the day. Back at home she would throw on her regular blue dress, but being here allowed her to live in a fairy tale and she was the princess. Uncle Iroh had took it upon himself to teach Katara all the manners and rules she needed to know and Zuko went back to his usual days of paper work and meetings. The water bender had to admit that this helped going to sleep at night because Zuko typically came back to the room after midnight. By the time he slipped under the cover, she would already be asleep. Everything seemed as though it had been this way for years. As the entire palace was quiet, the cool breeze flown through the sky.

Suddenly, a loud sound erupt throughout the castle. Running out toward the courtyard, soldiers and servants gathered to see who was breaking into the royal palace. As they all looked around, they saw nothing. Hearing the commotion, Katara and Zuko stepped out. They were both master benders and obviously needed no one to protect them.

"What's wrong?" The Fire Lord asked.

"I don't know," Katara answered.

She looked around when she heard a "Yip Yip" fall through the air. As the water bender looked up, Zuko pulled her close to him as he saw something fall from the sky. Landing in the same place that she was previously standing, Toph crashed into the ground, her feet landing with a loud 'boom' as the ground rippled under the pressure. Behind her came a gust of wind and suddenly Appa had flown in and settled on the roof. All at once a roar of screams and excitement ran through the air. Everyone knew who the Avatar was and Toph was recognized from their journeys together.

"Aang! Toph!" Katara screamed as her eyes lit up.

"The avatar!"

"And the earth bender!"

"Oh no..." Zuko thought as his eyes widen.

Everything was going smoothly. He couldn't have asked for a better week and his relationship with Katara was starting to fall into place. Both of them were becoming more open with one another and even snuck in kisses when they were alone. It was as though they had been dating for years, but before anything else could happen... this occurs.

"Hey there hot head," Toph said smiling.

The water bender gave her friends a short hug. She had looked at the both of them and noticed how they both grown up. Aang was now taller and more mature looking. His head was still bald and he still wore the air bender's robes, but he was no longer the little boy she knew back then. She admit that he held nothing against Zuko, but he was still cute. His body was still lean, but he was growing some muscle. Toph, on the other hand, had came into her own skin and was about Katara's height. Her hair was still short and she was still a tom boy, but the water master could see the hint of blush and makeup that fell on her friend's face.

General Tai and Uncle Iroh ran out as soon as they heard all the commotions. Both of them could see the breaks in the ground as everyone stood completely still. The fire bender could see his nephew in the corner, his entire world seeming to stop as he sat on the floor.

"What was all that noise?!" The general screamed.

"My _worst_ nightmares..." Zuko responded, "We have visitors..."

"Oh, Aang is here with Toph," Iroh commented as he saw the air and earth bender.

The workers looked at their superiors. In a loud booming voice, Zuko had ordered them to get back to work and as a shuffle rang throughout the yard, the master benders were left alone.

"Wooooooowww. You sure are living good, Zuko!" Aang said as he looked around, "This is nothing like the Air temple! You guys have servants and fancy looking carpet things... we only have stone and statues."

"Royalty has been good to you," Toph added as she felt the ground under her toes, "Your workers keep the land rich too, it almost feels as good as the earth kingdom!"

The two benders had looked around, but soon realized what they had came to visit for. As the Avatar stared at his old crush, he stumped up to her face, placing his hand on her shoulder as he looked deep into her eyes.

"Tara, when were you going to tell us you were getting _married_?!" The air bender yelled.

"To Zuko too!" Toph commented.

The water bender had looked at the two in front of her. She felt as though her mind was about to turn black as she tried to think of anything to say. Zuko, on the other hand, knew exactly what he wanted to do. Not only did the two outsiders break into his home, but now he was all over his fiance. Tightening his fist, the fire bender saw Iroh give him a stern stare. Normally he would deal with Zuko's ill temperament, but this was the Avatar. They had already stopped one element from going to war with them, lets not give another one a reason to.

"How did you two find out?" She asked quietly, "I didn't even tell Sokka yet."

"We came to visit and your dad had told us you left for the Fire Nation," Toph replied, "When we asked why, he told us that you were getting married to the_ Fire Lord! _We were worried that you were marrying some rude, old man, but we realized that Zuko was the fire lord now!"

"Yeah, we rushed over here as quick as we can. We even stopped by Suki's place to get Sokka, but they were too occupied with their new son. He told us to send our congratulations to you two..."

"I'm sorry, I was going to say something when everything settled down, but I guess I've been so occupied with learning that rules that it slipped my mind..."

"But what happened, Tara?" The air bender asked quietly.

The three of them sat on the floor as she tried to explain everything that had happened since they've last seen each other. As the story came to an end, Toph and Aang looked at each other, relief running their their minds as they let out a big sigh.

"I though you had really fallen in love with Zuko!" Toph said, "I wouldn't have been surprised, but twinkle-toes here was devastated! You guys always gave the weirdest vibes toward each other and we have been friends for so long. We thought you were have at least told us yourself."

"Well... it's not like we didn't talk for the past four years. We send each other mail off and on, but none of us really knew that this would happen. It was kind of just sprung onto us by the elders," Katara said, "but I really do like-"

"And if you two fell in love, that would mean that you secretly meet! You don't even meet us, Katara!" Aang yelled as he tried to connect the stories together.

The Fire Lord had had enough. Not only was he sitting here listening to the earth and air bender degrade him, but he had a lot of work to finish. Everything seemed to be annoying him more than usual as General Tai and Iroh simply sat there.

"I'm going back to the office," Zuko said loudly as he suddenly got up to leave.

"Nonsense, nephew, your friends came all the way here to see you. Take the day off!"

"I have work to do, Uncle, I _can't_ just take the day off. The elders are counting on me to review the new laws and regulate the economy."

"Actually, Fire Lord Zuko, I was going to tell you that the fire counsel has given you an extension on your paper works. They felt as though you and Lady Katara haven't been spending enough time together and your unity is suppose to represent the good of two countries," General Tai announced, " They also wanted you guys to spend some time in town seeing that the last trip went so well..."

The fire bender looked at the general with wide eyes and quickly regained his blank expression.

"It's official," Zuko thought, "The entire world was conspiring against me. First, I kept getting interrupted with Katara and now this..."

"That's great, now we can all hang out!" Aang yelled as he motioned Appa to come down.

"The Bison!" Zuko yelled promptly, "Stays on the roof."

"But Appa is part of the group..." The air bender sulked, "Katara..."

The water bender turned around and looked at her fiance. As she mouthed out a small 'sorry,' she quickly asked if he could make an exception, _for her_. How could someone deny the girl that they liked, especially after she asked with those big blue eyes.

"It'll only be for a day Lord hot-head!" Toph yelled.

"Yeah, you won't even know we're here." The air bender replied, "And the old guy said himself that they wanted you to go into town!"

"Fine..." The fire bender replied with his arms crossed.

"Great!" Aang yelled, "let's go into the city!"

"That sounds wonderful," Iroh commented, "Mind if I tag along too?"

"Everyone can come, let's go twinkle-toe!" Toph yelled as she grabbed onto Katara.

Zuko could feel the migraine he was getting increased as General Tai let out a small smirk. Seeing that his facial expression changed, he quickly returned to his seriously behavior and gave the group a small nod.

"Shall I tell everyone you are going into town for the day, Fire Lord Zuko?"

The fire bender looked at the General and then back to the group who was currently boarding Appa. Letting out a huge groan he rolled his eyes.

"Make sure nothing happens while I am gone."

Zuko had nothing against the benders, but whenever they were together, he felt as though he was 18 again. All of them had grown up into young adults, however, he did consider the fact that Aang and Toph were still only 18 and Katara was pushing 20. Looking at his fiance he could see the sparkle in her eyes as she took a seat between Toph and Uncle Iroh. She had given up so much to be here with him that the small sense of home probably made her feel better. As the Fire Lord looked up toward the white clouds, they took off into the sky. Feeling the sudden change in pressure Zuko nearly fell out of the flying Bision.

"_I forgot this thing flew..."_

x x x

Zuko's kind words flew out the window as Aang continuously pushed his patience. He had forgotten how annoying the air bender was when he was excited about something. He had considered the two of them to be friends, however, friendships had its limits. Aang was running up and down the street as him and Toph touched everything! Not only was he dealing with two kids, but he had to control the growing whispers of the crowd. Air of their arrival had caused a stir within the streets and without any proper gaurds, he had to make sure Katara and Iroh were safe.

"What a treat today!" An older lady yelled as she shook Aang's arms, "Thank you so much for all the service you have given us, Avatar."

"Don't worry about it," Aang said as he flashed the crowd a smile, "I'm merely here to visit my two good friends... who are apparently getting married!"

Katara could see everyone looking at Zuko and Aang. As they stood next to each other she left out a small giggle. She could tell that the fire bender was trying his best to keep his composure and Aang was simply being himself. As she walked toward Toph and Iroh, she could hear the older bender negotiate prices with the sales clerk.

"Why the heck am I in here if I can't see anything!" The earth bender cried as she stormed out.

Katara gave her friend a small pat as she walked passed her.

"It seems like it's getting livelier around here," Iroh said as he paid for his items, "It's a nice change for once."

"Yeah, but I don't think Zuko likes it very much," Katara whispered, "Aang isn't the type of person that someone can handel for a long time..."

"He just needs to get use to it. My nephew likes things organized, but the moment it strays from his plans he becomes frustrated. I think that this experience is teaching him that he can still be a kid even though he is ruling a nation."

"That seems like him alright," the water bender replied, "But-"

"SHUT UP ALREADY YOU- YOU- YOU-!"

Katara's head swiftly turned as she heard a loud yell. Zuko was about to hurl a fire ball into Aang's face before he quickly turned and saw the citizens of the Fire Nation. All of them had took a step back and fear flashed through their eyes as they stared at their leader. It had been one of his rules to not rule with an iron fist. He didn't want to take the same path his father took and therefore wanted a home that was known for their kindness and strength, not it's tyranny. Taking a deep breathe in, The fire lord lowered his arms.

"I apologize for the outburst," He mumbled as he stormed off.

The water bender ran toward the small group as she saw the red of Zuko's robe fade from view. She had look at the air bender and he stared back guiltily.

"What happened?" She asked, "Why is Zuko so upset?"

"Twinkle-Toe here decided to tell the people stories of all the time Lord Hot Head failed to catch him," Toph replied nonchalantly.

"AANG!" Katara screamed, "Why would you even think that would be a good idea?"

"Well the people asked! I thought they already knew," The air bender said apologetically.

Katara ran in the direction that Zuko had stormed off in and desperately tried to look for him. As she ran up and down the street, she was beginning to lose faith. She had no idea where anything was and started to think that she was getting herself lost. As her eyes drifted to the sky, her peripheral version caught the bright color of red.

"I almost hit him," the fire bender thought as he huffed, "I almost ruined all the progress I made with the people in one moment."

Zuko had retreated back to the river bank where he knew almost no one went near. As he closed his eyes he took deep breathes in, steam escaping from his mouth as he tried to lower his body temperature. As he was about to get up, he opened his eyes and saw a pair of crystal blue orbs staring at him. Giving a small jump and sitting up he had realized that it was no body else, but Katara.

"Oh, it's you..."

"Nice to see you too, _love_" she responded sarcastically, "...are you okay?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that it's just. I don't know, Katara, I'm fine," he replied, "I just got carried away by my past mistakes."

"I know it's hard for you Zuko, I'm sorry that they came all the way here...I didn't know that they would go and visit my dad. It's been a while since they came down I thought that I still had enough time..."

A long silence filled the air as they didn't know what to say to one another. Katara looked out toward the stream as she tried to run ideas through her mind. Fiddling with her pockets, she felt something in her sleeves and pulled out the bracelet she had purchase in town last week. She had almost forgotten about the small trinket and knew that this might do the trick. Smiling, She told Zuko to close his eyes.

"Why?"

"Can you just do it?" she asked.

"Are you gonna hit me?"

"Why would I hit you for?" she pondered curiously, "and why would your eyes need to be close for that?"

"Well, most people just don't close their eyes for no reason and we both know that I would block whatever attack you had otherwise," He answered with a smirk.

Katara had gave him a soft smack on the arm, "Oh please, I always beat your butt in every battle we had!"

The both of them broke out laughing. He had miss these small moments and wanted more of them, but seeing that she was asking him to do something, he obeyed. Closing his eyes, he felt a tad silly, but soon felt the water bender's soft fingers on his arm. As she lifted up his hand he could feel something cold touch his skin. Opening his golden orbs he could see a bracelet resting on his wrist.

"I got this in town a while ago, I thought it was nice and could represent the both of us. Now I know I don't have much to give you because you rule a nation, but this is totally real! And the lady was really nice when she sold it to me."

The fire lord looked at the bracelet on his hand. It wasn't something that he typically would wear, but he admit that it was nice.

"Ruby and Sapphire," he thought.

The bracelet kind of did represent them. The main focus was the rubies that lined up into a band, but the sapphires shined around it, almost as though they were holding all the stones together. To him, it was the perfect representation of their relationship. Deep down Zuko wanted to be the strong one. He wanted to keep everything together and not let anything go wrong, however, when he has his off days and bad moments Katara was always there. She didn't make it a main goal to stick out and shine in the crowd, but even though she was subtle, everything about her was more beautiful than a gem.

"It's kind of like you," he said quietly, "No matter what happens you are always supporting me."

The two leaned against each other as their eyes became memorized by the other. Ocean shined toward the flames of gold as their lips came closer and closer together. Zuko could feel Katara's breathe on his skin as he closed his eyes for their kiss, however, _it never came._

"EW, TWINKLE-TOE THEY'RE KISSING!"

"Katara how could you?" Aang asked as he ran next to Toph, "I thought Zuko was mad, but here you are _kissing_?!"

"You guys, we do have to get married!" Katara screamed as she stood up to face the two bender, "And I tried to tell you that I really do like Zuko!"

The three of them exchanged words as Zuko fell onto the ground, his back against the grass as his arm covered his eyes. As the bickering grew into an inaudible sound the fire bender groaned.

"Just for one day," he thought.

x x x

A day turned into a week as Zuko walked down the halls. He could hear Aang yell as he talked to Toph. He didn't understand why the air bender had to always scream. The girl was sitting mere inches away from him and the entire world didn't have to know that he was hungry. Walking away from the noise, he could see in the distinct the water bender and her friend. Katara was brushing Toph's hair before bed and was giggling over something funny.

He didn't know what to do. Zuko wanted to tell Katara to kick the benders out of his palace, but he couldn't do that to people that considered him friends. It wasn't that he was annoyed of them already, but ever since he came him and Katara had no romantic moments together.

"Only for a day," Zuko mocked as he noted that the earth and air bender had been there for almost an entire week.

The sun was already beginning to set and the group had went to their separate rooms. Ever since the counsel had given Zuko days off, him and Katara could fall asleep together, but instead of making out and snuggling, his nights were filled with a certain male bender.

Aang was always coming in to bug them. The boy had been so persistent in spending one night together outside, but they were no longer running away from evil! The fire lord saw no reason to sleep on the cold ground with bugs and animals. In fact, the entire palace would probably judge him for doing something so ridiculous.

"ZUKO! KATARA! Why is the door locked?"

"Aang, I'm not feeling so great can we do this tommorrow?" The fire lord lied.

"Really? Are you sick? Maybe Katara shouldn't be in there then!"

Zuko's eye slightly twitched at the sound of Aang's voice. He gave his fiance a long stare as she let out a small laugh.

"Aang, it's fine... Maybe we can hang out tommorrow night," she said loudly.

"Awe... fine..."

They had waited for a little bit as Zuko could hear the soft footsteps of the air bender fade into the sky. He could hear Katara moving around behind him as he turned around with his arms crossed.

"Tara, I don't want them to stay here for an entire mouth!" The fire lord screamed as the two of them began to get ready for bed.

"Why not, Zuko?"

"Because!"

"They are my friends!" The water bender yelled.

"I know you care about them, but you have to consider my position to! Aang's bision keeps eating all the flowers and Toph is messing up the agriculture of the land with all her earth bending! Also, they said they were only staying for a day and it's been about a week."

Katara suddenly grew quiet. She knew that it was normal for her to cater to the benders' need, but she couldn't ask Zuko to do the same thing. It was his week off from work and he had done nothing, but do whatever Aang or Toph had wanted.

"I know that it's hard... but I can't just tell them to go back home. They're probably just worried about the entire arrangement!"

"Katara, that's not the entire reason why they have to leave. I just want us to spend this time together, to help us grow closer. With them around, Aang is constantly going to keep butting in and Toph can see without even... seeing!" The fire bender complained, "I can't even think about you without her telling me that I'm a Horn dog!"

"You think about me?" The water bender asked curious as the fire bender turned his head.

"That's not the point."

"How bout for a few weeks?"

"No."

"2 weeks?"

"No."

"A week...?"

"Tara."

"Well you're going to have to give me something, Zuko!"

The fire bender pushed the water master onto the bed, "You want something from me?"

Katara froze. She could hear the change in Zuko's voice as he stared at her. It had been a while since they had done anything like this and because it was night time, no one was going to interrupt them. As Zuko's lips pressed onto hers, the soft touch he gave turned into a passionate desire.

"Ahh... Z-zuko, what about-"

The fire bender cut off the sentence as he stick his tongue inside his fiance's mouth. He was frustrated for the last few days and he wanted to relieve some of that stress. He didn't want to push too hard, but he didn't want to go slow anymore. Katara needed to see that he was a man and had his own needs.

As his hand traveled up Katara's long legs, his fingers lift her light, blue gown up. Her stomach became exposed as he could see the frilly panties that she had on. Her breathing was getting more shallow as she realized where this was going.

"Shhh..." he whispered as he moved her head to the side.

His mouth latched onto her neck. She smelled so intoxicating to him that he couldn't stop. As he heard a small moan escape from her mouth, he continued to kiss the side of her neck.

"But... what if some-someone comes in?"

"It's the middle of the night, no one is going to come," The fire lord answered confidently as he moved Katara onto the center of the bed.

Her body went from tense to relax as she sunk into the silk sheets.

"I want you," Zuko said softly as his hand worked to throw off his red silk shirt.

He stood over Katara, his legs on either side of her body as he stared at the girl underneath him. Although she was slight embarrassed, the water bender couldn't look away. She had seen Sokka and Aang shirtless countless of times, but Zuko's body was different. He had muscles that reflected numerous training and abs that ran down his entire stomach. Everything was getting warmer as the two benders fought for dominance within a kiss.

Slipping his hand deeper up her gown, his hand stopped on her left breast. He gave them a soft squeeze as his finger slide across her nipple, the small perks becoming harder as she let a moan out. With his free hand, he slid her bindings down, her breast bursting out as they laid flat in front of him.

"You're beautiful," he whispered as he took one of the mounds into his mouth.

Katara let out a loud moan as she couldn't help, but feel a sharp sensation run over her body. Zuko's was getting tense as his member pushed against his pants. He wanted to rip them off and shove himself deep inside his fiance, but he didn't want to rush the moment. Instead, he continued to tease her breast, his tongue sliding against her nipples as she let out a deep breathe.

Katara could feel a sensation grow between her legs which caused her to part them. Zuko had took the chance to fill the empty space with his own body as he grind his hip into hers. She could feel a hard bump against her entrance as she moaned his name, her mind racing as it tried to acknowledged what could potentially be happening. Pulling him into a kiss, Katara tried to think of any reasons that could make her want to stop.

"Urg, Katara" Zuko groaned as he could feel his pants tighten. He slid them off slowly as the water benders eyes fell on his undergarment, the thin piece of clothe doing nothing to hide his huge bulge.

"I can't believe this is happening," She thought.

Without thinking, she shyly took off her dress, the bunch up materials was beginning to annoy her and Zuko had already seen more than enough of her body. As the two looked at once another, his arm slid from her chest to her stomach, his fingers making their way to the warm core that he wanted to desperately enter.

"Ah.. Zuko," she whispered as she shut her eyes. Her mind was preparing her for what was happening and she could feel Zuko's finger tip apply pressure onto her womanhood.

The fire lord kissed went back to kissing his fiance's neck. His tongue sliding against her skin as he rubbed his finger harder against her core. He could feel Katara's body buckled under her hand and took the opporunity to take her panties off. Sliding them down, he could see the water bender open her eyes, her cheeks flushed as she looked away from his stare.

He wanted so urgently for this girl to be his. He wanted to make her unobtainable to anyone else in the world. For once he had someone that he didn't want to lose and the fact that she was right there made it even more exciting.

"W...what..." she asked as her voice raised an pitch higher.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

He knew he had to ask or else she might regret it later. Unlike the first time they were in this position, they had already gone much further. His cock twitched in anticipation of her reply as she turned away from his stare.

She knew that she liked Zuko. She knew that if they were together, they would be an unbeatable team. She knew that somewhere inside her heart, the love for this guy was growing every moment. She was always told as a young girl to wait for someone she had love and here she was in bed with someone she use to hate. She smiled sweetly at the fire lord.

"I use to hate you," she said softly.

"I know you did... you never let me forget," he replied with a small smirk.

"But now that we're here, in this moment, I have to say Zuko... That I want you to be my first."

He fell onto of her, his pressure coming down as he tried to relieve some of his weight off of her small body. His lips fell touched hers, electricity running through both of their body as his hand rubbed themselves over her folds. Hearing the moans that ran inside his mouth, he could feel his finger becoming wet.

"Someone's getting excited," he said softly as he pulled away.

Katara was about to protest before Zuko slide a finger inside of her entrance. Taking a sharp breathe in, she let out a small yell as she felt something go inside of her. Although Zuko didn't have big hands, his fingers were still big enough so that she felt it. New to this position, emotions rushed over her that were both sensual and new. He could see her eyes shut close as her hands grabbed onto the bed sheets.

"I'm going to have to prepare her..." Zuko thought as he began to move his finger in and out of her pussy.

His member was begging to come out as he tried to ignore the small pleads. He wanted this moment to be about Katara, but soon forgot everything when he felt a small pressure fall on his dick. He looked down to see the water bender's hand pulling and rubbing the fabric as she felt his hard rod against her palm.

"Urg... katara, don't... don't do that," he cried as he closed his eyes.

He had wanted to please her first and therefore tried hard to work his finger, but her touch was sending energy throughout his entire body. As he couldn't take the teasing any longer, his shoulder lift one of her leg up. His hand moved quickly as another finger slide into her core.

"Ah...ah... Ah... no," she moaned as her back arched.

"Just enjoy it," he whispered as his voice went husky.

Her hands rolled up in a ball as she pulled against the sheet. One finger was enough to make her moan, but two was driving her crazy. Her eyes slowly drifted to Zuko's hips as she saw the huge bump under his boxers. She assumed that he was preparing her, but she had no idea how she could stomach his cock if his fingers were already making her go mad.

"Ahh.. ouu.. Zuko!" she cried as she felt herself reach a new height of ecstasy.

The fire lord was going to thrust another finger in, but he couldn't push the tugging feeling that his body gave him. Pulling his pants down, his member fell out, the length standing up proud at an astonishing size of 7 inched long. He admit that he wasn't terribly big, but he made up for it with the width of his friend. Most males were simply an inch wide, but he was double the size and therefore could give anyone a ride of their night.

"Is that going to fit..." Katara asked as she blushed at how silly her question sounded.

"I'll go slow," Zuko replied as he whispered into her ear, "I;ll be gentle for you..."

He had put his finger in his mouth as he could taste her juices. It was so sweet and sultry that it took over his entire mind.

"I want you so much, Katara..." he mumbled.

The water bender looked at her fiance. Her Gran-Gran use to tell her as a child that she would one day meet a man that will take her innocence from her, but as long as she loved him, it'll be the most magical thing that would ever happen. Taking the moment in, Katara pushed the fire lord down, his face slightly confused as the positions were now reversed.

"I Love you, Zuko." She said as she looked at him with the brightest eyes ever.

The fire bender's breathe got caught in his throat as nothing came out. As he tried to something, anything, he could see the face of his lover disappear as she went lower down his body. She plant light kisses down his chest as she could feel how hard his abs truly were. As she moved lower down his body Zuko let out a small groan.

"She couldn't be, could she?" he thought quickly.

Before he could protest against anything, he felt something wet slide across the tip of his cock. Taking a sharp breathe in, his head threw back as he felt his entire body fall into a state of bliss. Katara had taken him inside her mouth and was currently pushing her head up and down.

"He's so big..." she thought as she had hope she was doing something right.

As the fire bender let out loud moans, he tried to control his body. He didn't want to release anything inside the water master's mouth and certainly did not want to lose control before he got to enter her. As he heard a soft pop, he felt the warmness disappear and coldness take over.

"W-where did you learn this?" The fire bender asked skeptically.

"I do have girl friends..." Katara responded as she slide her hand up and down the length.

"AH!" he yelled as he moved his hips against her hand.

He couldn't take it anymore. He pinned Katara down as she let out a small 'eep.' Looking into her eyes, he spread her legs slowly, his body slipping into the vacant space that it soon created. Taking his cock in his hand, he slid the top against her folds. Moving it up and down, he could feel her juices coat his cock generously.

"It's going to hurt," he whispered, "but I'll try to be gentle."

Katara knew it was going to hurt. She heard countless stories from girls and adults while growing up. Closing her eyes she gave her fiance a small nod. She was ready for anything and trust Zuko more than anyone at the moment. Feeling a small pressure between her legs, a pain shot through her as Zuko began to push his cock into her pussy.

"Oh my god..." he thought as he threw his head back, "She's so tight."

Zuko began to push the rest of himself in. As soon as he felt like he could no longer go in, he stopped. He wanted to give the girl under him time to adjust to the length. Seeing a small tear fall down her eyes he kissed her cheek, his mind trying to comfort her as he was in a state of ultimate bliss.

"Tell me when you want me to move," he said softly.

His lips went to her neck as he gave it a soft kiss. He wanted to make sure she was really wet before he started to thrust into her. All of a sudden a knock echoes through the room.

"You got to be kidding me," he growled as he threw his head up, "WHAT?!"

"Zuko, are you guys awake?"

His eye twitched at the sound of the voice.

"AANG, IT'S THE MIDDLE OF THE FUCKING NIGHT, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

The fire bender looked at katara as he could feel her muscle relax. Not moving have helped her get use to his size and as he remained inside her, he couldn't believe that he was currently bickering with the Avatar.

"The palace is too big, why can't we all have a big sleep over like before?"

Zuko groaned as his cock told him to move, "Aang, if you can tell me a good reason to open the door, I will, but it has to be a couple of minutes long."

"Why a couple of minutes?" The avatar asked skeptically.

"Just do it!"

As Aang started to think of his reasoning, Zuko kissed Katara, his mouth on hers as he began to pull his member out of her. Slowly, he pushed himself back in, the water bender beneath him moaning loudly into his mouth as he tried to quiet her voice. He had waited too long for this moment and he was not going to stop before finishing. As The fire lord began to to move at a slow pace, he kept his mouth on his fiance. He had hope that with this he would be able to quiet her screams so Aang wouldn't hear them.

"Ah... Z-Zuko," she moaned as she pulled her lips away, " we-we AH,"

"Katara?" Aang asked as he stopped thinking, "Are you okay?"

"I'm Fine, Aang! I just saw a... a...a... a big bug! You know how much I hate bugs... what are you doing here?"

"I was hoping we can all sleep in the court yard like the old days," The air bender said happily, "Don't you think that's a great idea?"

As Katara was about to answer, Zuko pushed himself back in, his cock stretching Katara's limit as she let out a loud groan.

"Well you don't have to be upset about it, Tara," Aang said, "I only wanted to spend some time together!"

"What about the reasoning?" Zuko yelled as he stopped moving.

"Oh! So if we stayed together we can spend more time as a group and everyone would be happy. Toph can't really see so she's probably really lonely by herself in a big room and-"

Zuko looked down toward the water bender, "Shhh..." he whispered as he began to move again.

Katara let out soft moans as she hugged Zuko. She didn't know if she could be really quiet. Zuko was too big and her pussy was on fire.

"Urg," he let out as he wanted to move faster.

The fire lord wasn't sure if he could go any faster than this, but he knew that at this pace, it was a slow torturous night. He wanted to push himself rapidly into his blushing bride, but couldn't. He couldn't risk the idea of Aang finding out what they were doing, but he desperately wanted to pound into the water bender.

"Z-zuko..." Katara whispered, "Pl..please faster,"

He had looked at her as he saw the desire that ran through her eyes. It seemed as though she no longer cared about the fading voice of the air bending that was currently being unheard through the big wooden door.

"Bite onto the pillow... or anything you want. Make sure Aang doesn't hear you," he said softly as he braced himself.

As Katara nuzzled her face into Zuko's neck, he pulled out his cock. Only the tip was inside her pussy as he slammed all the way inside. Katara's hands tightened onto his back as her eyes shut close. She was probably leaving scratch mark all over him, but he didn't mind. As she felt Zuko's hard dick slam into her pussy she couldn't help, but make noises. Quickly, she bite onto the fire bender's neck, the sudden pressure causing him to growl.

"I Only said that I could stay near Katara," The air bender said as he sighed, " No need to growl, but I guess you can put your sleeping bag on the other side..."

The water bender was trying hard not to be loud, but considering it was her first time, she couldn't help, but be a little expressive. As she bit down on Zuko's neck, he went harder and harder into her. His cock was thrusting into her core as he forgot all about being gentle. An animal had been release and it could no longer be stopped until he reached his limits.

"U-urg, katara..." The fire lord grunted, "you're so.. t-tight."

"And really, who would you rather sleep next to Katara, Me or-"

"ZUKO!" The master screamed as she could feel herself reaching her limit.

"You could have pretended like you cared," Aang said defeated.

Zuko could feel himself reaching the end of his ropes. He didn't want to stop, but he knew that he was reaching his own climax. Lifting Katara's leg up, he slammed himself deep into her. As he thrust his cock harder into her pussy, the water bender let out a loud scream, her voice echoing throughout the room as Zuko let out a groan of his own. Suddenly everything turned white as his seed spilled into her.

"Katara?" Aang asked as he heard the chilling cries of his friend.

Taking actions into his own hands, he swung his hand, a gust of wind pushing against the door as the bolts fell off the frame and the wood came crashing down. The entire palace could have woken up at the sound of the crash, but as the Avatar looked inside the room his face turned white.

"A-A-Aang," Katara said embarrassed.

The bender looked slightly frazzled as she stared at her friend. As she opened her mouth to speak, the Air bender passed out, his eyes glued shut as he fell onto the floor.

"Oh my god, Aang!"

Zuko could feel the faint prescense of people running down the halls. Before the disturbance could get any louder, he told the water bender to get dress. He gave her a small kiss on the cheek as he grinned, "I don't want anyone else to see you like this."

She had looked down and saw that she had nothing on. Grabbing the closest thing next to her, she threw it on. It had barely went pass her knees, but she didn't care. Running out of bed she stood next to her friend and tried to wake him up. Toph and Iroh coming from down the hall as Zuko finished slipping on some pants.

"Katara? What happened to Aang?" The old fire bender asked.

Zuko walked out of the room as he smirked, "Aang just had too much excitement run through his mind."

"You guys hung out without me?" Toph yelled.

"I wouldn't say that," The fire lord replied.

The elder bender looked at the three as he took noticed of what Katara had been wearing. Seeing that Zuko was shirtless and Katara had his shirt on- he placed his hand on Toph's shoulder, "Let's bring Aang back to his room..."

His uncle gave him a small smile as the two remaining benders were left alone.

"Man, Aang did a number on my door..." he said as he examined the frame.

"Zuko, you shouldn't have done that while Aang was at the door!" The water bender yelled with her hands over her cheeks.

"I Couldn't help it though..." he answered smiling, "I wanted more, but I cut it short this time..."

"I Love you," he said as he hugged her, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." Katara said softly as she felt the faint pain between her legs fade, "I love you too..."

The entire night was as surreal as a dream. To think that one argument lead them to something so magical and new. As Katara laid in Zuko's arm, she could feel the cold breeze come in from the halls. She did feel bad that Aang had to see them, but at the same time she admit that he has to learn to let go.

As she heard Zuko's deep breathing she smiled, "I really do love you, Zuko..."

* * *

**Author's note: **To be honest, I had written the ending in another completely different way... but decided last moment to change it. Hopefully It was enjoyable to you guys because my boyfriend thought I was absolutely going crazy from all the screams and giggling I was doing. Yet, the story isn't over yet ! Really, what is General Tai going to do and how is the wedding going to go?

Until next time lovelies ~


	11. Kind Words

**Chapter 11 Kind Words **

**Author's Note: **For some reason I've been thinking that I've written chapters out already, but I haven't. I also like to repeat again it's been a long time since I've watched Avatar and therefore some of the characters and such areeee... iffy to me. I apologize in advance for my laziness to not want to google correct spelling and such. Also, English isn't my specialties, so I'm so happy that you all are sticking with me even though my grammar sucks ! I'm going to try really hard to fix them though, I promise! This is a short chapter because (And I say it at the end) it was the opening to my original chapter 11 document in which I now have split into two different chapters.

**Disclaimer:** I Do not own any of these wonderful characters; just the ones I dream up.

* * *

"Twinkle-toes," The earth bender said, "I don't see why we have to leave so suddenly, you said so yourself that you wanted to stay a few more days!"

"I just think we should go, Toph..." Aang replied as he turned a deep shade of red.

"So you guys get to have all the fun while I'm all by myself in a big, empty room!? You hung out without me!"

"Trust me, we weren't hanging out," The avatar responded, "And it certainly was _not_ fun."

"Than what happened?" The earth bender inquired.

Aang continued to ignored Toph's comments as Zuko came out of his office. As he walked toward the court yard he could see both benders loading Appa up. Letting out a small chuckle, he smiled. He admit that it wasn't his intention to send the Avatar home like that, but one way or another it did the job. Hearing the small bickering between the two, he looked around. Normally whenever they fought a voice of reason would come out to stop them. Yet, as he saw the two figures standing alone, he had wondered where his fiance had went.

"Where's Katara..." He thought as he noted that the water bender wasn't outside.

As the Fire Lord walked down the halls, he could see nothing, but red. Heading toward his room, he could see various workers trying to fix the door. They had given him a small bow to show their respect as he slowly dismissed them for the time being. Peeking into the dark area, he could see his betrothed in the corner, her face looking into the table mirror as she brushed her hair quietly.

The Fire bender could see that her eyes no longer held the shine they had before. Instead, they were a dull shade of blue that were clouded with thoughts and worries. He slowly walked up to the girl, his footsteps soft as he realized that she didn't catch his presence yet.

"Tara," He said quietly, "I think Aang and Toph are about to leave."

"I know," She replied as she registered that someone was in the room.

Her face didn't turn away from the mirror. She didn't even look up to see who was speaking to her, but simply assumed that it was Zuko because of his deep voice.

"Aren't you going to see them off?"

"I don't think I can," she answered softly.

The fire lord rolled his eyes. He acknowledged the fact that she was embarrassed, but this was a tad extreme. He was glad that Katara couldn't see him at the moment because he knew his face read. 'You're being stupid.'

"Then again," he thought, "They are close friends..."

He let out a small sigh and then took a moment to think. Kneeling down next to the chair she was currently in, he placed his hand on her knee.

"Are you telling me you're going to let something silly cause this little... tension between you and Aang?"

"It's not that simple, Zuko" Katara replied, "He use to like me! This is probably devastating to him."

"Yes, but you said he _use_ to like you, Tara. Besides, he should understand that we are all _adults_ now. I know you have a mothering side toward him, but you can't always baby him. Katara, you're not his mother."

The water master placed the brush on the table and sigh. She had been debating all morning how she could possibly face her friend and came up with nothing logical. She wanted to just run into town and disappear for a while, but that would be cowardly. Aang had always been truthful to her. She had to be honest with him.

"Besides, who the heck goes knocking on someone's door in the middle of the night?" Zuko complained as he recalled the moment in his mind.

"Well, Aang is a special person, Zuko. Sometimes he doesn't make the wisest decisions. I know I'm not his mother, but-"

"There's no buts Katara."

The fire and water bender looked toward the door to see Aang standing against the frame. He had his arm on the other as he looked away for a moment. Taking a deep breathe in he regained the little composure he had.

"Zuko, can I talk to Katara for a second?"

The fire lord got up and fixed his robes. Taking a look toward his fiance he gave her a small pat on the head before walking away. He wasn't sure if she wanted him to stay or go. Her expression was blank and for the first time in their friendship he didn't know what to do. He did know, however, know that this was not a battle that he could fight for Katara and he already thought the whole thing was pointless. For a moment he was glad that this wasn't about him. Instead, it was about two old friends fixing a long, overdue misunderstanding. As his footsteps began to grow softer, the smell of cinnamon disappeared from the air.

"Katara, what are you doing in here?" Aang said softly as he stepped into the room.

"I'm just getting ready," She said quietly as she picked the brush back up, "Everyone keeps saying that I have to look the part of Fire Lady. I don't want to disappoint them."

"If you brush your hair anymore it's going to fall out!" Aang said as he tried to get the girl to smile, "You wouldn't want to look like me... not just anyone can pull off this look!"

Katara didn't say anything, but she did finally smile. As the Avatar saw the small curve on her lips he let out a small sigh of relief. He knew that he was acting childish and didn't mean to pass out, but he was simply surprised. It had been a while since he had seen Katara. He declared that he didn't love her anymore, but he still had a small crush on her. After all, she was the first girl he saw when he woke up from his long slumber.

However, he couldn't hold that against her. They had traveled for so long with one another and if she was going to like him, she would have already. After the months of waiting turned into 2 years, Aang finally told himself that it was never going to happen. Maybe he was just a bit jealous. A part of him wanted the Air nation and water tribe to fight with one another. Maybe then it could have been him.

"Do you really like him...?" The air bender asked quietly, "I mean you must if you two did..."

His voice slightly dropped toward the end of the sentence.

"Aang," She said softly as her body turned to face him, "Before I knew that I was going to marry Zuko, I was really scared. My dad came in and told me that I had to do this for the good of both our nations,"

"So you don't like him?" The teen commented quickly.

"Well, that's the thing. I do like Zuko... I really do. We say that we love one another, but it seems more complicated to me than simple words. All of it seems rushed, like we're in an ocean and someone is pushing up forward instead of letting us float along."

"Why not slow down then, Katara?"

"I don't know..."

The air bender looked at his friend as he tried to think of something to say. He had wanted to come in and ask if she loved Zuko, but the moment he heard that she did love him he forgot everything else that came to mind.

"What am I doing," he thought to himself, "The air monks would scowl me for being childish..."

Aang took Katara's hand and gave her a soft smile. He always had the most innocent grin on his face and growing up had only made that smile bigger.

"The air monks use to tell us that feelings are things that comes from the emotions of our own hearts," The air bender said softly, "But, people are affected by their past and the darkness of the unknown. When we traveled together and we had to save the world, Tara, I didn't know how anything would end. We could have died. _I _could have died. Everything seemed rushed to me. I slept for a hundred years and within a few seconds I had a mission to complete. You were the first person I saw when I woke up and I will never forget how blue your eyes were. Your smile was always so beautiful and bright, it burned an image into my eyes and ever since we came here to visit you and Zuko, your smile hasn't changed one bit. It may seem rushed to you, Katara, but time is only a number. It doesn't mean that you aren't feeling genuine love for him..."

The water bender looked at her friend. He was staring at her with a serious look on his face. It wasn't common for Aang to take a step back from his regular 'fun guy' act, but when he thinks about something important, he becomes as mature as Zuko is.

His words had hit her like a knife. She had been over thinking everything from the moment she stepped into the Fire Nation. Uncle Iroh had told her to not worry. Zuko had told her to not worry. Now Aang was telling her to not worry.

"Don't you feel like sometimes things could be different?"

"I was just thinking that," he replied suddenly, "I was thinking that if we were enemies, than perhaps it would be me. Maybe I would be by your side instead of Zuko right now and you'll be Mrs Aang Air bender!"

She could tell that he was back to his chilled manners, but a part of her knew that he wasn't joking.

"I'm sorry, Aang..." Katara said.

"You don't need to apologize, Tara. Why would you?" The air bender said, "I know sometimes I may act young... but living in the air temple has taught me to be more understanding."

"You do seem more mature," The water master answered softly, "I wonder when I became so childish."

"You're not childish! You're just confused and everyone gets like that sometimes. You just have to grow out of it. If you love Zuko than I'm happy for you."

"I think I do..." The girl said softly, "Isn't it strange?"

"Not at all," Aang said with a smile, "if you two are strange than me and Toph are strange too."

"Are you two a thing?" Katara asked as her eyes perked up.

"We're not a thing," The air bender replied, "But who knows... things works in unexpected ways."

The avatar gave her a small smile as she could hear the hint of bragging in his voice. The water bender stood up, her gown bunching up around her as she turned to hug her old friend. Aang never really had a distinct smell, but he always had a warm hug for her.

"I missed you Aang," She whispered, "I'm so glad that you guys came to visit."

The air master had took the chance to return her gesture. It hurt him a little bit on the inside, but he didn't want to show her that. He didn't want to show her that he was in pain because he could tell that she was really happy. Eventually the pain will disappear because the more time they spend together the more he realized that their love was nothing more than a sibling's affection.

"I'm rooting for you, Tara."

The two of them stood still as they could hear Toph's yelling in the distance. They were growing closer as Zuko's voice mixed in with her cries.

"You guys are always having fun without me!" The earth bender screamed.

"They're not having fun, they're talking!" Zuko yelled back.

"How do you know, lord hot head? What if they're making out right now?"

The quarrel had stopped and everything grew quiet as the water and air bender heard loud steps rapidly close in on them. As Aang and Katara looked up from their hug they could see the Fire Lord staring back at them. He didn't have an angry expression on his face, but he didn't have a happy one either.

"What are you two doing?" He asked skeptically.

"We're... Hugging," Katara answered slowly.

She looked at the fire bender in front of her and saw Toph trudging behind. As the earth princess let out a small smirk she hit Zuko on the back.

"Obviously they weren't making out," She said, "I can see them from the ground."

"If you can see 'from the ground,'" Zuko asked, "Why do you keep asking us what happened last night?! Can't you see for yourself?"

"I was too far away to see that," She responded, "Besides, I wasn't focusing on anything last night."

The two bender continued to argued as though it was second nature to them. As Aang and Katara pulled away and laughed they couldn't help, but turn to one another.

"It seems like we're traveling again," She said softly.

"Yeah, but everything seems more pleasant."

"Maybe because Zuko isn't trying to capture you," The water bender commented.

"And no one is trying to kill us," Aang added.

As the two walked toward the bickering pair Aang jumped on Toph and Katara grabbed Zuko's arm.

"Let's have a meal before we leave," The avatar said loudly.

"Why can't you guys just be normal, quiet benders who fears me?" Zuko yelled in frustration.

"Because we seen you sleep already," Toph said, "You're not scary."

"YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE!"

"BUT I CAN FEEL!" She screamed, "And Sokka told us that you talk in your sleep and say stupid things like 'I'm the great fire prince!'"

"I DO NOT!"

"DO TO"

"DO NOT"

"KATARA!" The both of them yelled simultaneously.

Their stare was on her as she took a step back. Thinking for a moment, she couldn't remember what had happened 4 years ago, but she did remember what happened a few nights ago. Zuko had slipped into bed and woken her up, but after a few moments had passed she heard his light to get back into a comfy position she could feel Zuko moving beside her. As her eyes grew heavier she drifted into her own dream land, but was suddenly interrupted by a certain fire bender.

"Uh... I would love to side with you, Zuko, but sometimes you do-"

"Nevermind!" He screamed, "Let's just go get food."

* * *

**Author's Note:** This chapter is actually suppose to be _longer_, but I split it in half because I'm not done editing the second part yet. There's a lot to describe and put in because DUM DUM DUM! Chapter 12 will be about General Tai and what his evil self is up to. Until then I wanted to leave you all with something to read because I am working again! It's the end of the week and therefore have less time to write. Thank you so much for reading loves 3. and I'll see you again in 3-4 days max! Possibly 2.


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